‘Scariest time of my life’: How new, expecting Myrtle Beach area moms cope with COVID-19
Macy Burroughs was going to have her fiance and mom by her side when she gave birth.
Until coronavirus wrecked those plans.
“You don’t think your mom is going to meet her first grandbaby over Facetime,” Burroughs said.
But, that’s how it had to work for the new mom and grandmother. An in-person meeting had to move to the virtual world, like many aspects of life, as COVID-19 continued to impact the Grand Strand.
Burroughs welcomed daughter Clarke Weaver on April 7, as the world was at the height of social distancing. Today, everybody is healthy and happy despite the lack of sleep in the Burroughs’ home.
Clarke will be forever known as a pandemic baby, but she won’t be alone. Dozens of Horry County moms welcomed babies smack in the middle of a coronavirus world.
“I at least planned for normal,” said fellow new mom Alexandra Morris, who welcomed daughter Carmela on April 8, “and this wasn’t.”
Lose ID, gain a baby
Morris’ water broke and she started her contractions when she and her husband, Jeb, arrived at a Tidelands Health hospital ready to give birth. The only entrance was through the emergency room, something that didn’t sit well with the soon-to-be mom.
That’s where those with coronavirus symptoms first went and were waiting. Now, she had to go in there as well.
Contracting the disease was a concern for Alexandra in the weeks leading up to giving birth. Her dad shares their home, and he has a health condition. Bringing the disease home from the doctor’s office or hospital was not an option.
“I actually considered doing a home birth,” Alexandra said.
That never came to pass, and there Alexandra was on the hospital’s doorstep about to go into the emergency room.
She went to the registration desk, where the worker could tell Alexandra was nervous about others in the area. Alexandra had a mask and gloves to protect herself. She gave over her health insurance card and driver’s license to complete check in. To help ease her concerns, the worker wiped down the cards, wrapped them in a paper towel and handed them back to Alexandra.
“I didn’t want to touch anything,” Alexandra said.
Those cards stayed in the paper towel and were tossed out with the bathwater in the delivery process. The hiccup provided a funny story for a pretty smooth birthing process for Alexandra and Jeb.
Two days later, the new family was ready to leave the hospital down a couple of identification cards, but with a beautiful new girl, Carmela, in tow. Alexandra still gets a bit speechless thinking about that moment when she met her daughter, even in the middle of a pandemic.
“The best moment of my life,” she said.
An unseen big belly
Emily Jackson found out she was pregnant two weeks after moving to the Myrtle Beach area from Marietta, Ohio. She expected it to be like what her friends experienced. A baby shower was set for March 27 in Ohio.
Friends saw Emily when she was a couple of months along, but didn’t have the chance to feel the baby kick or to see Emily’s glow. The shower was that chance until coronavirus ruined travel plans.
“No one saw me with my big belly,” Emily exclaimed.
Emily was disappointed that she couldn’t celebrate with her friends weeks before her May due date. Baby, Layla, had other plans, and Emily’s water broke about a month early, sending her to the hospital in early April instead of early May.
Hospital policy prevented anyone else from being with Emily until staff confirmed she was in active labor. For 45 minutes, in labor, Emily waited alone in the hospital until the baby’s father, Preston, was allowed to join her.
Emily’s mom was supposed to be by her side as well, but COVID-19 restrictions meant only one loved one was allowed inside. Emily’s mom didn’t meet her granddaughter, Layla, until a few days later.
Even then, Emily recalled how her mom wore protective gear to meet the baby. Emily’s father and her step-mom opted to meet their granddaughter through a window at the house. Her step-mom is a nurse and didn’t want to take any chances of spreading coronavirus to the baby.
As restrictions are eased, Emily said she can’t wait to show off Layla to those friends who never got to meet her through the pregnancy belly.
“I want to be able to have my friends see her!”
Daughter of a Betsch
April Betsch (pronounced as you think) awaits the birth of her second child in mid-June. The family has a little fun with their last name. When their first child Cooper was born, they gave him a hat that read “son of a Betsch.”
Soon the Betch family will welcome Riley, and April admitted she thought because she’s been pregnant before this one was going to be easier.
“You have to be prepared for anything [though],” she said, but who could prepare for coronavirus?
They’re working from home and using drive-up grocery and delivery to help protect the family. It has also changed the way doctor’s offices operate.
When April arrives, a nurse checks her temperature at the door. Her husband, David, is not allowed inside, which has meant missing key moments like hearing Riley’s heartbeat.
It would be more difficult not to have her husband there if this was her first child, April said. Where she doesn’t want to miss him is in the delivery room. While some hospitals banned everyone except the mom, Grand Strand hospitals are still allowing one person inside.
“I feel like I need him to protect me,” April said. “I would be devastated.”
Facemask selfie time!
Taylor Newell and her husband Austin have tried for a while to get pregnant. Now, they are weeks away from welcoming their first daughter, Caroline, into the world.
The challenges getting pregnant meant Taylor, who also serves as the City of Conway spokeswoman, had every aspect of her pregnancy planned.
“Any kind of birth plan you had in place prior to COVID-19 are out the window,” Taylor said.
Taylor gets choked up talking about the biggest change coronavirus has had, in that Austin is not allowed to join her on doctor visits. Taylor said she texts her pharmacist husband before she goes into her appointment and then during the exam. Recently, she bemoaned to him about wearing a mask over her mouth.
“IDK (I don’t know) how you wear a mask like this all day,” Taylor wrote and included a selfie. “About to have a heat stroke.”
Austin sarcastically sent a selfie back of himself wearing his mask.
“Like this”
Exchanging selfies have become the norms for doctor’s visits now for the Newells as they count down the days to their mid-June due date. Taylor said she plans to tell Caroline how she was born during the pandemic and how her mom had to be careful not to contract the disease despite every public appearance.
“I’m going to tell her it was the scariest time of my life,” Taylor said, choking up a bit. “It’s scary because it’s not about you anymore.”
Supposed to be easier the second time
A second pregnancy for Kylie Gray had to go smoother, right? Her first child had Gastroschisis while in the womb. The condition meant dozens of surgeries and months in the hospital.
This pregnancy was supposed to be easier, but coronavirus has thrown its own wrench into plans. Kylie said she and her husband, Linc, were the only people allowed inside the delivery area to welcome their daughter Atherlin into the world on April 20.
Many moms lamented the COVID-19 restrictions, but Kylie said they found an added benefit. She and Linc had private moments to bond with Atherlin — their first child together, each having one child from a previous relationship — without the other family around. The couple’s two other kids had to wait a bit to meet their newest sister.
“We Facetimed a lot,” Kylie said.
Today, the family of five is running around their Conway area home, trying to live as best anyone can with two youngsters and a newborn at home while also dealing with coronavirus restrictions. Last year for Mother’s Day, the family went out for a meal. This year, with a two-week-old and COVID-19 still present means a lazy Sunday.
“We don’t have any plans,” Kylie said. “Stay home with family.”
