KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For mothers giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic, the new restrictions and guidelines can be a lot all at once. Many are forced to change plans very late in their pregnancy.
Two Knoxville mothers had to change their birth plans because of the virus but said it was actually a blessing in disguise.
At 38 weeks pregnant, Stephanie Lancaster found out no one would be at her third child's birth except her husband and doctors.
"So it was kind of a lot of bad news and just kind of upsetting because everything, you know, wasn't going the way that I'd planned," Lancaster said.
Equipped with masks in the delivery room, the coronavirus pandemic caused fear, uncertainty and silence.
"It was just really quiet in the hospital and I don't know, it just had a weird feeling," Lancaster explained. "It wasn't the feeling that I had when I delivered my other two, anyway."
RELATED: CDC recommends pregnant women give birth with no family present during coronavirus outbreak
When her now 2-week-old son, Duke, was born, though, she said all of the negative thoughts melted away.
"Just being able to enjoy every moment for what it is and not have to worry about covering yourself, and having people come in and out so much," Lancaster said.
The mother of three admitted the pandemic was actually a blessing in disguise.
She wrote a blog post on knoxvillemoms.com describing her experience, to hopefully ease other expecting mothers' minds.
She said it was the time she needed to remember every detail of the day and focus on her new baby. Now, she's able to relax at home without worrying about visitors or distractions.
"But being able to see the bigger picture and to truly just enjoy what you're getting to experience right now I think helps deal with the chaos that's going on outside," Lancaster smiled.
While other moms, like Sarah Beth Walker, completely altered their birth plans because of the pandemic and impending threat to labor and delivery.
"Around 36 weeks when we just started hearing everything on the news about hospitals changing their policies and then reading to know those policies were changing, like every week, we started looking for other options," Walker admitted.
Even though she was late in her term, she chose to have her baby at home with a midwife. That way, she was guaranteed her husband and son would be right there with her.
Her midwife mentioned many other women were making the same move late in their terms because of the pandemic.
"It felt like a lot less possible contact than being in a hospital would be," Walker explained.
She said she had a low-risk pregnancy and realizes that option isn't available for everyone but is glad she made the decision.
While it wasn't their original plan, both mothers said they would have the same experience all over again. They are both so thankful for their pandemic pregnancies.
When it comes to childbirth, hospital guidelines are changing in different areas each passing day. Contact your area hospital for specific restrictions and precautions.