hk baby
Giving birth in Hong Kong during a pandemic Four mums share their experience giving birth in public and private hospitals
Marie-Hélène Farrelly & Elise Delivered at: Matilda International Hospital
Aude Camus & Noa Delivered at: Queen Mary Hospital After giving birth during a pandemic, I pretty much feel that I can tackle anything that is thrown my way. This gives me so much hope and joy. I wouldn’t say that my pregnancy was particularly impacted by Covid. In some ways, it made things slightly easier for me. My job is very social and due to distancing, most events were cancelled so at least I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. I chose to deliver at Queen Mary Hospital. The nurses were so kind and answered all my questions (I had many). The only thing I wouldn’t recommend is the food - have someone deliver your meal and ask for a bed by the window if possible, the view is heavenly. I was lucky in that when I got into the delivery room, I was
4 | Hong Kong Family Guide
handed a phone and told to inform my partner he could come in for the birth. It was such a relief as I fully anticipated giving birth without him due to Covid restrictions. I would have hated for him to meet his little girl in the hospital car park. When she is able to understand, I will tell Noa that she was a ray of sunshine for our friends and family in what has been some of the most challenging years of our lives. Advice to mothers: Giving birth is stressful enough, without the complications that Covid brings. Trust the hospital staff, try not to think about what would have been, and focus on the positives. Soon you will meet your baby, and believe me when I say: nothing else will matter the minute you meet them.
The pandemic had two main impacts on my pregnancy: firstly, it added a lot of stress and secondly, it made what (in my mind) is meant to be a joyful, sociable time, quite lonely. Concerns about the virus made me more cautious than I would have otherwise been and therefore, day-to-day activities were subject to a cost-benefit analysis. I delivered at Matilda International Hospital. Other than the additional mask requirement, my actual birth experience wasn’t really affected. My husband was present for the delivery and afterwards. I was lucky in that my health insurance covered the cost of a private hospital room which meant that I had the privacy (and extra safety from a virus perspective) of a room on my own and I could also have one
additional visitor at any one time. Post-Covid, there will most likely be a new normal way of living so, when Elise is older, I will be regaling her with stories of what the old days were to be like - spontaneous trips abroad, large gatherings of families and friends and no constant temperature checks or covered faces. Advice to other mothers: Take reasonable precautions but try not to get too worked up as you could drive yourself crazy with worry. I believe that getting out and about is beneficial, both physically and mentally. I’d also suggest joining a due date WhatsApp group. As we all know, it takes a tribe to raise a child so you need to keep building your tribe.
