It's two days before the planned delivery of our twins, and I can't help but compare the situation to that of Evie's delivery in May of 2020. The circumstances in some ways are very different, while in others they are frustratingly still the same.
The main difference is that this time around we are expecting twins! But also, the pregnancy has been much more complicated this time around. A variety of underlying medical issues has resulted in many, many more appointments, scans and trips to hospital. There is also the fact that we are living with a very opinionated 22-month old, so we're not going into this quite as clueless as before.
The common factor between both pregnancies is, obviously, The Situation.
Although the restrictions at the hospital are not as severe now as they were in 2020, they absolutely still have an impact. I know that they need to be in place, particularly in settings where there are vulnerable people, but they do have real impacts on patients and families. Once again, Claudia is going to be in hospital by herself for significant periods of time, this time having to look after 2 babies just hours after having surgery. Once again, family and friends will be unable to visit or participate in an important life event.
And it's beyond frustrating that all of this is happening at a time when the UK Government continues to loosen restrictions, has stopped providing free testing, and has recorded the highest ever levels of COVID infections in the general population since the start of the pandemic. I'm not sure what the answer is, but there has to be a kinder way to give new mums the emtional support they need during an amazingly stressful, exciting and terrifying time.
Yours etc,
Patto