In this particular epidemic context, life goes on. The mother of one of the first babies born in a context of coronavirus confinement at the hospital in Château-Gontier (Mayenne) testifies.
The little Eloïse, born on Tuesday 17th March 2020, at 2.22pm, at the maternity hospital of Château-Gontier (Mayenne), i.e. 2.22 am after the start of national confinement. It is the symbol that life goes on, despite the difficulties encountered.
An opportunity once again for us to salute the work of health professionals who are working tirelessly.
Eloise’s parents, Annabelle Coubard, 28, and Maxime Goy, 29, from Ballots (Mayenne), certainly did not expect to experience such a birth!
“It was special, ”says Annabelle.
“We were a little apprehensive because if we had seen a lot of reports on hospitals, parts of care linked to the coronavirus, we finally have little information on other services, like maternities. How it goes, etc.
So “I consulted on a forum of pregnant mothers who were coming to term and who were exchanging on what was happening in different maternities. I was a little afraid because some mothers explained that the father was not allowed to be present at the delivery. ”
Fortunately, at Château-Gontier (Mayenne), Maxime Goy was able to accompany and be alongside Annabelle.
Complicated breathing with the mask
They were greeted at the maternity hospital “by a firefighter who supplied us with hydro-alcoholic masks and gels. ”
Annabelle: “I was triggered on Tuesday 17th March in the morning because I was + 5 days away. So it was not related to containment. I had the epidural at 12 noon, the hour of the start of confinement! ”
Then Eloise arrived. “It was a bit complicated breathing with the mask. And then, we do not see the smiles of midwives and nurses who wear theirs too. We can guess them, but it doesn’t look the same. However, all this is normal given the context, ”explains the mother who already gave birth to her first child Bastien, three and a half years ago.
“The atmosphere was not the same, that’s for sure. “
Still, everything went well and everyone is doing well.
The delivery was special, the aftermath too. “If Maxime went out, if only to smoke, he could not have returned to maternity. So he slept in the room and ate with me. ”
Bastien was entrusted to his grandparents. “It was complicated for him too because we told him it would be great, that we would party, that we would all be together and in the end, he stayed away from us. We called it video, but it’s not the same. ”
Accompanied to the car
The departure from maternity was also “different. It was not Dad (who went out before retrieving Bastien) who came to pick us up in the room. He must have stayed in the car. They were members of the staff who accompanied me with Eloïse to the car. ”
The family is reunited today.
“We live like everyone else now … We are confined to our home! “
And again, the program is different from the usual aftermath. “There is no party planned. Our families and friends call, we send photos etc, but … Everyone is frustrated. ”
The first pediatric visit a few days after birth will also be different. “We were told that a paediatrician in Laval was only dedicated to this to prevent the spread of the virus. That you should, therefore, avoid going to your GP. “
