Lockdown Diaries: Pregnant moms belong on high-risk list

I take my hat off to all new mothers in lockdown during this pandemic as it seems our government has forgotten about them.

I know, because I have just become a father and wonder how single mothers do it, as I have experienced what goes into preparing for a baby – and it is no child’s play.

My wife and I went from being excited, to panicking about whether we had enough food and clothes for the baby that was due in a month.

We worried about whether we might need permits to make the gynaecologist visits and if our explanation would be enough if we were stopped by the police on our way there.

My wife always wore a dress that would show at least she is pregnant in case a cop did not believe us.

I swear she sat in front of the TV for every lockdown restriction briefing and not once did our president or any of our beloved ministers speak about pregnant women.

My wife was forced to take annual leave a few days before lockdown.

We had planned to have my mother, who lives in another province, to come and help for a couple of weeks once the baby was born, but it quickly became clear that we were going to have to wing it.

I deleted our initial typed step-by-step plan on how we were going to welcome our baby and started a new one under the title: “How to Prepare For A New Baby During A Pandemic.”

But the new plan was much more complicated, because we now had rules and restrictions with less time and not enough resources.

Movement to and from the doctor had gone from being every four weeks to every week – and those visits were non-negotiable. Our doctor was taking no chances, with or without a pandemic.

We thankfully made it in time to buy some baby clothes, get enough medication to last a month and also, at a high price, lay our hands on a couple of boxes of face masks for when we met our “Baby Corona”.

I wonder if Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize in any of his ministerial meetings even thought of pregnant women and their special needs and even putting them on a high-risk list – because that’s where they belong.

Ask this new dad.

Tabane Pitsoane.

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