I can’t stop thinking about the woman alone in the delivery room.

The one who’s about to have her first baby. She doesn’t know what to expect as she lays there hooked up to machines, with her husband streaming on FaceTime as the internet cuts in and out. She's in pain, crying in screams, while her spouse feels so helpless because he can’t be there with her, holding her hand and telling her she’ll be okay.

The one about to have her third baby, but it’s a high-risk pregnancy. She wanted her partner and doula in the delivery room with her, but now she’ll be alone. She knows what to expect, the unexpected—but she feels uneasy. What if something goes wrong? What if she needs an emergency C-section? And she won’t be able to bounce a quick decision off of her partner, she’ll have to go with her gut-- and that’s a lot of pressure.

So, she worries.

I can’t stop thinking about the woman alone in the delivery room.

Afraid.

In terrible pain.

No doula or spouse to support her.

Then after her birth, no visitors.

I see her rocking the baby at night as he cries, earth-shattering wails with no one to switch off with.

I see her brought to tears as she fails to breastfeed.

I see her lying in bed, postpartum, and feeling all different kinds of emotions with no one to express them to in the middle of the night. And if she calls or sends a text, there will be no reassuring hug that everything will be okay.

Her partner has to wait to meet his child.

Her other kids have to wait to meet their new sibling.

Yes, it's prudent with coronavirus running rampant,

but it’s hard.

Women are strong,

and they can do hard things, especially for their children.

But childbirth is hard with all the supports.

Those first days postpartum are hard with a partner present.

So, I can't stop thinking about the woman alone in the delivery room.

Say a prayer for her tonight.

Let her know she isn’t alone--

because her family is in your heart and thoughts.

*Thinking about the pregnant women of NYC and praying this doesn’t have to happen everywhere 🙏

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId