Covid-19 is forcing women to miscarry from home

The global pandemic has shifted the normalcy of a lot of situations. Pregnancy, for instance. Now, women cannot attend antenatal sessions with their partners anymore, or even give birth in the presence of those they care about.

Doctors are making sure that healthcare facilities have as few people as possible to contain the coronavirus.

For women who are miscarrying, Covid-19 has made it a lonelier experience.

Women are being advised to miscarry from home.

Gynaecologists and obstetrician Dr Matthew Holland states that “one in five known pregnancies will, unfortunately, end in miscarriage, but many other women will miscarry without realising that they were even pregnant”.

The process of a miscarriage can take place over a couple of days, and doctors are avoiding having patients in the hospital for that long. According to the Miscarriage Association, women that do not require emergency surgeries for the miscarriage will have limited access to the hospital.

Also Read: When should you be concerned about cramps during pregnancy?

After 11 months of trying to conceive, South African parenting and lifestyle blogger, Marie-Louise Candiotes finally had a positive pregnancy test. When she went for her first doctors’ appointment, her pregnancy was confirmed, and her HCG levels were high. HCG levels are used to check if your pregnancy is progressing well or not.

The second blood test indicated that Marie-Louise’s HCG levels had dropped from 1,000 to 800.

“The decline was most likely the first sign of a miscarriage,” she shares. Her next test would show a decline to 608.

The morning she was meant to see her doctor again, she started bleeding, and “the doctor advised me to stay home and to rather come to see her once the bleeding had subsided”.

Amy, a UK mother, shared a similar story with the Miscarriage Association. She also played the waiting game from home. The doctor wanted to minimise her risk of exposure to Covid-19 and also reduce the spread of the virus. No woman wants to deal with miscarrying and recovering from Covid-19 simultaneously.

A lonely journey was made lonelier for Marie-Louise as her husband, who she affectionately refers to as Mr Perfect, was not allowed at the doctor appointments. In the end, she had to get surgery and did that in the absence of her husband due to Covid-19 hospital regulations.

It has been a world-shattering reality for many moms who are giving birth without their partners.

Others are losing their unborn babies alone at home without extended family and friends to support them.

Karabo Mokoena

Karabo Mokoena is a wife, a girl mom, a writer and content creator. She is the resident contributor for Parenty and a Mommy Blogger, creating relatable parenting content for her blog Black Mom Chronicles. You can engage with her on her Instagram and YouTube pages. She is a political science graduate, who has worked in human resources for most of her professional career. She loves engaging with people, thus her choice to specialise in recruitment. She loves telling stories and sharing her life’s journey to brighten someone else’s day. 

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