COVID-19 and Erika Pearce Birth Photography
Everywhere I look and read and go I see the ebb and flow of this new pandemic known as COVID-19 or the Coronavirus. I won’t go into opinions or too much preventative care because that is not the goal of this blog. The goal of this blog is to tell you how this effects birth photography. It might not seem it on the surface, but of all the bank, retail, restaurants, gyms, etc. emails I have received this week, it might effect the service I provide more directly than others. While all businesses struggle when the masses start staying at home or when all the toilet tissue has been snatched up for miles, this particular field of work could be impacted profoundly.
I am a big believer that fear is the cause of most unpleasantries in the world. I would never tell you not to process and worry about things that can happen. I would, however, remind you to not let fear take hold of your heart. So many unknown factors are scary when you’re pregnant. It is so easy to fixate and hold tight to the fear of what could happen. I think we all know that more often than not, we eventually give let go of the “could happen” and rest in the “what is” instead. This whole pandemic is very much like labor to me. I can’t control it. I can’t fight it. I can be diligent and proactive to know what to do and how to do my best. Other than that, I can’t control it. What will be will happen no matter the fight. Just as I can’t control the tides or rain, I also can’t control every aspect of my labor.
… and the same holds true for COVID-19.
We can’t fully control whether we get or give this virus. We can wash our hands, be mindful of spreading germs, keep our homes clean, make sure sick family members stay home, hydrate, eat well, nourish our immune systems, and do all sorts of things to be wise and responsible about spreading COVID-19, the flu, a common cold, etc. We can do that well. In the end, we can’t fully control whether we succumb to a sickness or not. What will be will be.
So how does this apply to birth photography and Erika Pearce Photography? So far it doesn’t, and my hope that it will not be an issue, but already in the online forums and different places around the world, hospitals are locking things down tightly. In Portugal, I already have heard from a birth photographer that she was no longer allowed in the hospital room. I am in no way saying this will happen here Covington, New Orleans, Baton Rouge or any other places in Louisiana, but I do believe it is wise to consider that it could happen here with the hysteria mounting. I do understand with a new virus hospitals will do whatever they can to protect their patients. I admire that and respect it, but I also believe that a woman should have her right honored that she may have anyone she has asked to be in her birth space.
I will list resources below, but I would like to let you know that most recent studies show that pregnant women are not considered more at risk for COVID-19. In the women that did contract the disease, no evidence of the virus was found in the mothers’ breast milk, cord blood or amniotic fluid. This is good news. So mamas take heart. Your sweet ones should be healthy and safe with these findings.
I am definitely not an expert in COVID-19. I do not have any type of medical degree. I can’t tell you without a doubt you will or will not get sick. I can not tell you your hospital or birth center will or will not allow a doula or birth photographer in the birth room. I simply do not have the answers to that. Should you be cautious? Yes. Should you panic? No. I would suggest talking to your doctor and hospital to see if any extra precautions should be taken by you, your partner, family and anyone else you have at your birth.
I do want you to feel safe with me so here is some information you might not know about me.
If you have been in a birth with me, you already know I’m a bit of a germ freak. I can’t afford to get sick professionally and personally.
I bring soap and sanitizer with me to every birth.
I do not touch anything in the hospital without washing my hands. I even wear sweaters year round to grab handles without using my hands. I touch elevator buttons with my knuckle to avoid germs on my fingers so I don’t spread anything from surface to surface. Then, once near a sink, I wash it immediately.
I sanitize my phone and camera often to keep germs out of my house and body.
I am always happy to wear a mask if asked or required by the medical staff in any situation.
Why do I do all of this?
Professionally, I will not be in the presence of a baby or pregnant mother with a stomach virus, cold, flu, bacterial infection, or anything. My contract has an entire section about keeping you and your loved ones healthy in the event I am not well to be at your birth. I would never jeopardize my clients. Never. There is also something about me that keeps me personally responsible to keep as germ free as I can.
I do need to keep my home germ free if possible. Yes, I do have four children that I desperately want to keep well, but a few of us in our home are special. Two of my boys and I all have a genetic condition with our lungs. We are immune compromised. All those warnings about the elderly and immune compromised people of the world? Yes. That is us. If I get a cold, I end up with multiple shots, breathing treatments, multiple medicines, hospital stays, and occasionally pneumonia. I have battled it my entire life and so do my boys. I can not afford to get sick. It isn’t just a cold for us. It is always so much more.
This is why I wash my hands. This is why I panic every flu season. This is why we all pray and cross our fingers from October-April. We get very sick. I want to serve my clients fully, so I avoid it at all costs. My family and my business mean so much to me. I can’t serve those around me if I can’t be healthy.
Here it is. All the truth, encouragement, info (links below), and stories. COVID-19 is scary for me for my business and health, but I can’t let that control me either. It might be no worse than a cold for all I know, but I am not going to risk it either way. I will wash my hands. I will sneeze in my arm (we call it a vampire sneeze), I will touch the key pads with my knuckles. I will avoid certain places when I can. I will do all of this to serve my clients and to keep us healthy.
I can not speak for you in your birthing space. I can’t go against hospital policies on your behalf which is true if a virus is a concern or not. I will, however, do everything in my power to follow any rule or guideline the doctors and/or hospitals send my way so that I can photograph one of the most special days of your lives. I hope you know how much of an honor it is for me to be in these sacred spaces. Here is to a healthy 2020 and a season of joy on the horizon with a new little babe nestled in your arms.
May your toilet tissue supply be bountiful and the disinfectant be efficient! I look forward to waving “bye” to fear that COVID-19 has on our world as soon as I can!
XO,
Erika
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