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November 2020 Moms
mamabell2020
member
How are you all coping with social distancing?
mamabell2020
member
I know the virus has affected us all differently but I wanted to reach out and ask how everyone is coping with maintaining social distancing?
MH and I lost our first baby in September at 11 & a weeks so now that I'm pregnant again I understand why both of us are being/have been more cautious. However, father's day and my mom's birthday is coming up and I want to go visit them and have dinner(it would only be the four of us and up until now we have been having short visits and maintaining a 6 feet distance, no hugs, etc). He says he just wants to keep me & baby safe, which I appreciate but I just long for that somewhat sense of normalcy that comes with a family dinner. I am not working currently and I only go out for my doctor appointments or to pick up a prescription so I understand I could just be experiencing pandemic fatigue but I am curious is anyone else fed up with having to stay home?
MH and I lost our first baby in September at 11 & a weeks so now that I'm pregnant again I understand why both of us are being/have been more cautious. However, father's day and my mom's birthday is coming up and I want to go visit them and have dinner(it would only be the four of us and up until now we have been having short visits and maintaining a 6 feet distance, no hugs, etc). He says he just wants to keep me & baby safe, which I appreciate but I just long for that somewhat sense of normalcy that comes with a family dinner. I am not working currently and I only go out for my doctor appointments or to pick up a prescription so I understand I could just be experiencing pandemic fatigue but I am curious is anyone else fed up with having to stay home?
Best Answers
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crizz13 member
So let me start off by saying that I think A LOT has to do with the numbers in your area.
I live in Massachusetts where we have had over 7,000 deaths and close to 100,000 cases. We have been VERY cautious. My two daughters and I haven't been anywhere but doctor's appointments, walks in my neighborhood, and driving around in my car since March 10.
That being said, we are cautiously "expanding our bubble" to include my parents and my brother and his family. We saw them yesterday (still socially distanced for the adults) and all outdoors but we hung out and let the kids play with each other unrestricted. We have just entered phase 2 of our reopening because numbers are going down in all areas measured and I think being around people we trust is the best way to start our "re-entry."
My current feeling is that we need to make safe and smart decisions but also not be cooped up forever.
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csardaszz member
I am definitely getting tired of staying home. I used to love spending hours in cafés and going to my office, but I have only been to the office to pay my rent (in a mask). I don’t trust the building’s ventilation to be virus-free, and I don’t want to sit alone in a mask all day.I also miss shopping and being able to just pop out for a few things (whether I needed them or not). I really wish I could go try on maternity clothes because I have no idea how they’ll fit.
When DH and I go out shopping, I usually wait in the car while he goes in with the list. Very rarely do I go in stores, and when I do I wear a mask. Although I’m seeing more and more masks in my area, it would be a stretch to say that 50% of people wear them.
I’m getting tired of takeout. We only get it once a week, but we live in the country so it’s usually cold by the time we get home.
Finally, the social isolation is a bit difficult, despite the fact that DH and I are both introverts. We haven’t seen friends. My family is a plane ride away and his is in another country. We don’t know when we’ll see them again. There have been many times during this pregnancy so far when I really could used the support of a good friend or my sister or my mother.
I joined this forum in search of the community that social distancing prevents. I am so grateful to each and every one of you for being there, sharing, and providing that support. Thank you! -
name1109 member
We have relatively low numbers but for me the possibility and downside of potential COVID...has me terrified. DH has done all grocery shopping. We haven't been wearing our masks on our street or when we go to the beach but that's really about all we do. Our youngest had surgery recently and was tested for COVID. Thankfully she came back negative but that would mean so far we shouldn't be exposed. We went to Home Depot once but with everyone taking their masks off I haven't gone anywhere else. I love social things and people and so this isolation time has been extremely hard for me. I just want to go and do and.............feel like I can't. I don't want to lose any of my girls. Again as @laurenmicheley stated...it is a personal decision. For us, we've stayed home alot and it's 110% driving me nuts.
Re: How are you all coping with social distancing?
Family has been pretty distant from us because of my job, but over the last couple weeks we've gotten together for 2 birthdays (just immediate family).
Although I have no desire to run out and eat at a restaurant. I'm in Maine and we just reached 100 deaths today.
We have plans to have a socially distant get together with our friends in an outdoor space at some point in the next few weeks and I would like to go see my family for father's day. I'm a little hesitant to see my niece and nephews because there is no way they will maintain social distance, even though I really want to see them most of all.
My OB has been pretty common sense about maintaining social distance. She has expressed, that if it's not an imperative, then weigh your risk and do the maximum you can do to keep yourself (and baby) safe. It's ultimately a personal decision, but being honest with yourself is vital (the fact is doctors and scientists do not yet know how Covid-19 is going to affect a developing fetus; it is way too early to tell - a small preliminary study this week shows it may cause issues with the placenta). I am in the camp of staying isolated as much as I can stand it, but recognize that my mental and emotional health is important, too.
That said, we take our safety and our kids' safety as seriously as we can.
It is a small office, but I don't trust the people in there to socially distance (my boss doesn't seem to be taking this seriously) and the ventilation in the building is sketchy. I've been so stressed about this, it gives me anxiety. I've always been a hard worker, and I feel an obligation to go back to work, but my husband on the other hand thinks that I should NOT go back and it's not worth the risk.
I'm not really sure what to do. I'm afraid they'll let me go, which honestly isn't the end of the world. We were planning on having me quit after the baby is born, but my husband won't be going to work again until next month and I just don't feel "right" without a job. We have savings, I can get on his insurance, but this whole situation is just stressing me out so much!
Sorry for the long rant and maybe tmi, but I've just been feeling so stuck! Other than my work situation, social distancing has been "okay". I've always been a homebody, but I really miss seeing my friends and family...and shopping!
I have been trying to figure out about continuing to see my parents because they have been visiting with one of my brothers and his family. And I don't trust this brother because he won't openly talk about what they are/aren't doing but his wife posted pics on FB outside at a winery inviting people to join and my brother posted about being against required mask wearing. I was having decision paralysis trying to decide to keep seeing my parents or not. But I just found out that my parents won't be seeing my brother's family for at least 2 weeks since my brother got exposed at his work. Fortunately, my parents hadn't seen him since before the exposure as my dad has cancer. I hope he and his family are okay, he said he was wearing a mask at work when outside his office but I don't know if the client who exposed them was.
Having an exposure in my family has definitely made me feel more confident in just staying home. But it is hard and getting harder to be so isolated. Also, seeing all the protests has been hard to just be home and not join. I just hope there are actual real changes after the protests and history doesn't repeat itself.
Started Dating: 2003 Married: 2013
Started TTC August 2016
BFP: 2/1/17 MC: 2/8/17
BFP: 3/8/17 MMC: 5/1/17
BFP: 7/23/17 EDD: 4/5/18
BFP: 2/27/20
For about 2 months I really didn't see anyone other than my husband and OB, but I'm an introvert, so it didn't bother me too much. In the last month we've started seeing some friends and family. I live in a rural area in Canada, and we don't have a lot of active cases (21 in the province right now), so it feels like we can start getting back to normal... But I said to DH on the weekend I thought we were being a little too relaxed!
But it's hard to balance everything. DH is a massive extrovert and he was going batty not seeing anyone. I feel like we have a better sense of balance now... But if we start getting a second wave it will be back to isolation!!
Thanks for the advice! My OB did say she was going to write me a note, but it wasn't ready for today, which was my chat with my boss. I basically told him that from day one I said I'd be comfortable coming in when numbers were down, and yesterday, LA county had its highest daily count so far. It was really constructive and I think I got him to understand where I was coming from. I did have to turn down a promotion that would require me to be in the office, but I think I made the right decision. At least I still have a work-from-home job that makes me feel safe!