ISRRT_COVID-19_book
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July 2021: Returning to work<br />
Several people told me <strong>COVID</strong>-<strong>19</strong> would be gone by the time I returned from maternity leave.<br />
I made my 40-mile commute to work today. <strong>COVID</strong>-<strong>19</strong> exists. It is evident that there is an<br />
ongoing pandemic. Surgical masks are still required upon entry to the hospital. People talk<br />
about isolation and Lateral Flow Tests. The work environment is a stark contrast to what I<br />
would see if I made a trip to the supermarket where masks are no longer a requirement.<br />
Many people keep stating how lucky I have been to have missed <strong>COVID</strong>-<strong>19</strong> at work, however<br />
there is a dark reality about having a high-risk pregnancy and giving birth to a premature baby<br />
during a pandemic. I was expecting my baby before the pandemic was declared so I did not<br />
know what I was getting myself into.<br />
Shortly before the first lockdown myself and 2 of my colleagues went to Costa to have lunch.<br />
It was the last meal that I have had with friends since 2020. Throughout the year I have felt<br />
isolated from the outside world. I Facetimed my parents and spoke to my closest friends<br />
regularly. Not being in the presence of other people was difficult despite my preference for<br />
introversion.<br />
When my son was on the Neonatal Unit myself and my husband could not be together at the<br />
side of his incubator at the same time. My husband could only visit us for 1 hour per day when<br />
we were transferred to the Maternity ward. Not having access to your own poorly baby is<br />
heart-breaking. We were not allowed to be together as a proper family until we were<br />
discharged. Many Trusts still have these restrictions in place.<br />
In addition, there were no premature baby clothes available to purchase, and the tiny-babysized<br />
clothes were scarce. We had to use the donated babywear at the hospital. A fellow Mum<br />
on the ward gave me some of her son’s premature baby clothes because they did not fit him.<br />
These are some of my struggles that I want to talk about when someone calls me “lucky”.<br />
Instead, I laugh and all I choose to say is that I am not lucky because it is difficult sitting at<br />
home for 6-8 months without going out. This is also true. I did not go out of the house, unless<br />
I attended appointments. Going to Tesco for the first time after my son’s birth was like a<br />
vacation!<br />
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