2 minute read
Telling It Like It Is
Anna Woolf on maternity leave and first birthday parties during lockdown...
Lots of parents and carers have undergone pregnancy, then maternity and paternity leave in lockdown. None of this is normal. I’ve had friends who have laboured alone on maternity wards, only for their partner or family member to be allowed in at the last minute. Strange and isolating. But what about post birth? Lockdown has meant that lots of babies and toddlers have missed out on groups and activities – as much a benefit for them as the adults who care for them too. Lots of parents and carers have suddenly found themselves in isolation with no physical baby groups to join.
I know that I certainly have been so focused on (trying!) to provide my five year old with activities and crafts, that thinking about the baby and her developmental needs has been pushed to the back of the queue. Luckily there is help online, from lockdown solidarity threads on Mumsnet, to the epic ‘Lockdown Family Tips and Ideas’ Facebook group (which now has over 1 million members) it feels at least via the Internet as though we are all in it together.
Luna turned one in August, and although I’m not usually one for big fussy birthday parties (I’m not sure she even knew what was going on!) it still felt strange to not really be able to celebrate in a ‘normal’ way. Parenting in a pandemic has forced everyone to be creative, and birthdays are no exception.
With both sets of grandparents effectively shielding, having a ‘mixed’ yet socially distant party with other friends and children was out of the question.
We didn’t want to overly expose any older grandparents to risk by mixing with others, so instead opted for a small lunch, with both sets of parents in the garden.
I’ve heard of some people coming up with really inventive ways to celebrate little one’s birthdays, from Zoom scavenger hunts, to ‘drive in’ cinema screenings (someone set up a projector at the front of their house and everyone sat in their cars!); anything to try and make, and mark an occasion.
And the best thing we’ve found? As many photos as possible. When our children look back on lockdown, I hope they notice how joyful and happy everyone was, despite the lack of ‘normal’. And to be honest, who wants to be normal anyway?
