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HAVING A BABY DURING A PANDEMIC
How Matilda Hospital Stepped Up Being pregnant is such a special time in a woman ’ s life and the prospect of adding a new bundle of joy to the family is exciting for expectant parents . At least that ’ s how it ought to be and how it was for many in the pre-pandemic era . Since COVID-19 hit , some of this excitement has turned to anxiety and worry . Expectant mothers were faced with choosing a safe place to give birth , one which wouldn ’ t be heavily impacted by the pandemic and one that provided some peace of mind . Some hospitals had restrictions that would allow only the mother in the birthing room and that was a little nerve wracking .
Matilda International Hospital introduced special standard room maternity care packages , allowing for more cost-effective access to private care during the coronavirus outbreak . The special packages included nursing care , room , meal charges and treatment normally associated with delivery .
Two mothers share their experiences of giving birth during a global pandemic . Ms Catherine Siu gave birth to son , Walton , in late June 2020 . This was baby number two for her and she opted to go to Matilda for this delivery after discovering the special package on offer . Her obstetrician gave her a few options where to deliver on HK Island . After doing the comparison , Catherine preferred a hospital close to
Central as it is close to her family . She also felt more comfortable at a hospital located far from the city and from the crowds .
During Catherine ’ s pregnancy , her hormones made her feel particularly sensitive , depressed and worried , especially when she saw there had been over 100 COVID cases per day reported on TV . She opted to go out less and kept up social distancing . Her mother helped with the grocery shopping and she only went out for antenatal check-ups .
Catherine felt relieved when she made the decision to deliver at Matilda . She felt the staff gave her a lot of support and the midwives were extremely caring . All of this put her at ease . During the COVID outbreak her family could visit her at hospital . The midwives at Matilda gave her a lot of care and attention . They talked to her and gave her a lot of support , like family .
• To Stay Safe & Healthy : “ When I go out , I will try to keep social distancing , not to have social gathering with friends , and use a covering to protect the baby .”
• Wishes for her baby : “ During the COVID pandemic , many people said that the air is fresher and the sky is blue and I hope my baby will preserve such environment and good health for everybody .”
Ms Evonne Tam , a first-time mother , gave birth in mid July 2020 to her son , Benedikt . Originally , she planned to
deliver at Queen Mary Hospital ( QMH ) but after learning about the special packages at Matilda , she opted to go there instead . She had heard Matilda had a good reputation but wasn ’ t sure if she could afford it . When she had a look at the Outbreak Response Packages , she found them more affordable than she expected .
There were a few reasons Evonne chose Matilda . As a first-time mom , she felt it was important to have her husband there with her and this was possible at Matilda . She also liked the environment and felt the care there is special and personal , both before delivery and after delivery . For Evonne , a more comfortable environment and somewhere like home to have her delivery was important .
During the time of her pregnancy there were an increasing number of COVID cases and she was worried about the safety during her delivery . She was relieved her husband could be there with her and that her baby could stay with her too . Everything was smooth for her delivery in the end and for that she was very thankful .
She thinks public hospitals , especially QMH , are good too .
• Wishes for her baby : “ I hope my baby will be kind-hearted . The pandemic makes us more humble and I hope my child will cherish life , embrace the world and the world ' s precious resources .”
Winter 2020 19