I'm finally getting my smear test in the near future. I got my letter in March 2020 so didn't get through the cycle before lockdown. My surgery contacted me and are putting on extra catch-up clinics. I explained that I would like the smear test but masks are an issue, both for me and being with others wearing them (communication difficulties and birth trauma. A sexual assualt hasn't helped as far as the smear is concerned.) which is why I've been holding off. They rang back a few days later and the nurse is willing to do it with visor only. She's fully vaccinated, I'm partially vaccinated.
It is utterly inhumane to inhibit labouring women's ability to breathe. I had two difficult labours and theatre births and what helped the second to be less traumatic than the first was a very supportive MW who did her best to make me comfortable and work with my body and talked me through what was happening when things reached a critical point and ended up in theatre again.
Birth is a point where women are very suceptible to trauma and having poor access to support from a familiar birth partners is already difficult enough (especially in long inductions) without the loss of autonomy to fulfill the basic function of breathing with the body's needs, and obstructing communication, both verbal and staff's ability to pick up non-verbal cues and changes in demeanour.