The pandemic has claimed many, but new life continues to spring forth. Families are still growing in this time of great loss and uncertainty. Inspiring a source of hope for many families that have faced loss in the nearly two years since the first outbreak of COVID-19 was reported.

Michelle Williams 31, Seattle, is a few days from birthing her third child. Her 1st in nearly 10 years, a baby girl.

“It’s already scary with all the news about Black women dying in the hospital. Now we have to worry about being sick too.” Williams said, regarding her upcoming birth.

Williams is referring to the recent headlines warning of the inequity in maternal mortality rates. Black and Indigenous women in America are three to four times more likely to die while in labor or due to birth related complications. Williams has been scorned by this birth system and is doing everything she can to ensure a safe birth for her and her baby.

“I previously suffered from a still birth and the birth of my son was hard. I made sure I had help this time around. Went through the steps to get a doula and take birth classes.” Williams shared tearfully. The pain still fresh over a decade later.

A small upstate New York hospital has stopped delivering babies to accommodate more COVID patients. Leaving families to seek refuge at other hospitals or consider birth centers and home births. Families have had to be agile and flexible with their birth plans which has put birth workers, such as doulas and midwives in high demand.

Other mothers prove to be more optimistic. Jasmine Davis 27, Seattle, birthed her daughter in July of 2020, at the height of national lockdowns.

“I hated missing out on having a baby shower and stuff like that, but it was nice to spend time at home with just me and her dad. So much about my body and my world was changing, it was comforting to stay in my own little bubble.” Davis stated.

Davis spent most of her pregnancy in quarantine, away from family and friends. While she admitted it was lonely, she was grateful for the time to adjust to motherhood without all the usual traffic that comes with a new baby being in the home.

Families in the pandemic have seen all their worlds meshed into one. School, work, and childcare are all remote and each family must adjust to this new, hopefully temporary, way of life. This fall marked the return to in person learning for schools across the country. Some parents are returning to work as well.

Davis talked about her slow return to the workforce,

“I worked in childcare before I got pregnant, and I plan to return to the field. I’m also in school, getting my associates degree in early childhood development. I’m looking, but not too hard. It has to be worth putting myself and potentially my daughter at risk.”

Normalcy makes it return this fall. Some are ready for it while others are not quite prepared. The pandemic has taken a lot out of all of us. No two births are the same, and complications from the pandemic adds an additional layer of fear. Babies offer a look toward the future, one that is bright and ripe with opportunity.