Newborn Visitors COVID RISK

[Liverpool20]

I am due to give birth in the next two weeks and wondering what everyone else in a similar position is planning regarding visitors when newborn arrives. So far we have decided 2 weeks of complete lockdown but knowing now what we know about COVID 2 weeks isn’t enough to completely protect the baby and ourselves. Eg people in carrying the virus with symptoms etc. Close people from both sides are no longer completely isolating whereas we have been isolating since beginning of March - it’s been a long tough road.

I know that it is going to be hard people not meeting him straight away and I know for a fact that MIL & DH will think I’m crazy if I decide to go over the 2 weeks that we have already agreed to

Any suggestions?

Outside garden meetings?

There’s been a lot of threads like this recently- maybe have a read of them!

@Liverpool20 Hello! We have chatted on the August threads too I think, this is also stressing me out. I started thread about it and got some good responses that might help you out, tried to link it here so hopefully it works xxx

Newborn baby/ visitors/ coronavirus...what would you do? - www.mumsnet.com/talk/parenting/3983691-newborn-baby-visitors-coronavirus-what-would-you-do

@OverTheRainbow88

Outside garden meetings?

There’s been a lot of threads like this recently- maybe have a read of them!

I’ve searched the threads couldn’t find any. Must need to use the forums more to get familiar. Garden visits are a good one I guess

[quote Nellie3]@Liverpool20 Hello! We have chatted on the August threads too I think, this is also stressing me out. I started thread about it and got some good responses that might help you out, tried to link it here so hopefully it works xxx

Newborn baby/ visitors/ coronavirus...what would you do? - www.mumsnet.com/talk/parenting/3983691-newborn-baby-visitors-coronavirus-what-would-you-do[/quote]
Hey, how are you doing? You must be so close now 😬

Thanks so much for directing me to the thread, it’s really helped reading other opinions and made me feel more confident in saying what I would like people to do. It’s so hard isn’t it, I would love to be sharing him with our families but they will just need to understand that I can’t take the risk and the stress it would cause me.

Hope you are doing well xx

I had my baby 8 weeks ago. All initial visits (day 3 onwards As I was only discharged on day 3) were by grandparents and they all wore masks and sanitised hands prior to holding baby. Aunts and uncles and friends cooed from a distance outside...

That lasted about a week or so then I desperately needed my mums help due to exhaustion and recover - she care and afternoon a while said to hell with the masks, but she was very careful re sanitising. Since then no one really wears a mask to visit, all sanitise and all have had cuddles (grandparents, aunts uncles, great grandparents and some close friends).

Full disclosure: myself, DH and my mother and sisters all work for the NHS, half are clinical, half admin/management/other- so it's not like we don't understand what's going on. But I've taken a personal risk assessment on it. No one has come close who has anything like any of the symptoms but I needed to see and hug and see my baby with my family for my own sanity/MH!

We had a baby 12 weeks ago at the height of lockdown. We were very strict to start with, garden visits only and no cuddles. I regret how strict we were and we are now allowing cuddles. I feel sad that our families and baby missed out on cuddles together when he was tiny.

Incidentally baby was in NICU for the first week, and the consultant there was clear that babies are very unlikely to get Covid, and if they do they are very unlikely to become unwell. We were cautious because of the risk we might pose to family members but now we let them make that decision for themselves.

I'm due in a week and I've been thinking a lot about this too. We've been really strict with social distancing ahead of the birth and we will only meet our friends and family in outdoor settings. Of course, one or two of our friends and family think we're being over-the-top and have made comments about how minimal the risk is, but we've just held firm and been clear we're not making exceptions. Most people understand our concerns and the outside socialising became the norm very quickly. My parents are abroad and had to cancel their visit to see the baby due to travel restrictions. MIL lives nearby and is clearly very disappointed that we won't let her inside the house and keeps asking how long we think it will be until our stance changes, but we really cannot tell her at this point and of course the rational part of her knows this too. I do find saying 'no' very difficult and it is hard to disappoint people but I also think my anxieties over this are completely justified; most of the population are still working from home due to the risk, travel corridors are being shut, there are quite a few local lockdowns happening even now, and it is even mandatory to wear face masks in most parts of the country for heaven's sake! These are still far from normal circumstances and there is obviously a risk, which is why the government have brought in all these measures. I don't see why this risk suddenly becomes less important when it concerns cuddling a vulnerable newborn. If you are happy to accept assurances from doctors that the risk is low, or from family members who say they have been careful, it's entirely up to you, but it should be you and DH making that call without undue pressure. Nobody has the right to insist that your put your baby at risk so they can have a cuddle. A cuddle with baby is entirely for their benefit, not yours or your baby's.

Im not due until Nov bit already feel I don't want anyone touching my baby

We've also been really strict on social distancing since March and probably will continue to do so as just don't want to take any risks

I wouldn't want anyone holding my baby for the 2 weeks after we come back from hospital but I'm already feeling like i wouldn't want them to beyond the two weeks.

I'm very close to my parents so I feel if they isolated for two weeks plus, strictly, then they could see and maybe hold the baby

But I'm worried my husband will insist my MIL can do the same. The difference is she'd have to get a flight over so I wouldn't want her holding my baby. She's already asking when she can come over to stay and I've told my husband I don't think she can stay here after a flight. Even if she stayed in a hotel I'd still think she couldn't then hold the baby as she wouldn't have isolated.