COVID-19 has currently been deemed a worldwide pandemic, and while there is no evidence that this disease is of any more harm to pregnant women, the current NHS advice is to self isolate for up to 3 months.
The current number of Coronavirus cases in the UK is 22,141 and rising daily, with the number of deaths currently sitting at 1,408.
The Royal College of Gynaecologists is advising that, if you get the virus, there is no known increase of miscarriage, however, pregnant women still need to follow the self-isolation advice and continue to regularly wash hands, avoid non-essential travel and gatherings, and to work from home.
Full-time coach and photographer Melissa, being pregnant herself and following the advice, is self-isolating, launched a support group for pregnant women in isolation due to the coronavirus.
The Facebook group, Birth2bump, aims to support expecting mothers with practical advice for improving their mindset and mental wellbeing, provides them with simple strategies that they can implement every day and encourage them through like-minded people in similar situations.
“My motivation with this group is to help pregnant women in self-isolation, at this unprecedented time, overcome feelings of overwhelm, fear and loss of control.”
Member of the group, Lauren, says that she joined the group when she was struggling with the emotions of pregnancy.
“I was invited to join the group by a friend that is pregnant, I was overwhelmed by the thought of welcoming my baby into the world at a time of such unprecedented uncertainty.”
The group offered Lauren some comfort and strategies to manage the difficult emotions she was experiencing.
“The group really helps me keep track on track with helping myself, reminding me to practice self-care. Melissa has some lovely strategies and resources to help practice relaxation and mindfulness.”
When her businesses pretty much unraveled overnight, Melissa decided to use her craft to help others in her situation. “Due to the current circumstances, I will be required to self-isolate for at least 3 months, however, I will probably extend this until after the birth just to be safe.”
Strategic Intervention Coach, Master NLP Practitioner and Mental Health First Aid Instructor Melissa from Wirral hopes to use her mindset and personal empowerment training to help others regain their power and take control of their life during this unprecedented and scary time.
She is using this time that she has to her advantage, she has created a new digital colouring therapy book line and coaches a masterclass online.
This group, however, does have a number of rules, these include:
- No talk about Coronavirus updates, medical guidelines, scaremongering, shaming etc.
- No medical or midwifery support
- No requests/recommendations for baby products
- No bullying or aggy trolls
By creating this group, Melissa hopes to support women through meditation, relaxation and breathing.
“I aim to help them through this time by introducing them to new techniques during this challenging time.”
Along with this being her first baby, Lauren has a lot of worries about her pregnancy, especially among COVID-19 uncertainty.
“The group definitely helps with my anxiety. There are times that I feel incredibly worried about these next few months of pregnancy, whether I will have the birth that I hoped and planned for and how long it will be before our family can meet the new addition.”
Birth2bump has been her only support system, due to her having to self-isolate, she has not got her usual support around her.
“I miss the support of my mum and sister. But when those feelings overwhelm me I can pop on the group and read the comments or watch the videos of other women, in the same position, perhaps feeling the same. That makes me feel less alone. Or I could try one of the mindfulness videos Melissa has shared, or another of the strategies. Those things really help to reduce anxiety.”
The group can be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bump2birthmindset
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