Amid chaos of pandemic, a new life is welcomed | Opinion

After being married for six years and trying to conceive, my husband, Erick, and I decided to start fertility treatment. On March 3, 2020, after months of medications, shots, acupuncture, and doctors appointments, I underwent a successful implantation procedure. Little did we know that the world soon would stop in its tracks due to a global pandemic.

As a school site administrator, I continued working both from school and then from home, all while attending appointment after appointment on my own due to strict COVID restrictions.

Thankfully, my doctors, Dr. Michael Jacobs, Dr. Anna Suarez-Davis, and Dr. Madeleen Mas, were extremely supportive throughout our visits and were filled with compassion and understanding of how hard it was to attend each visit alone. I was able to FaceTime my husband at each visit so he could hear the baby’s heartbeat and see the ultrasounds.

Everything we planned had to be revised and cut down in size to meet guidelines. The baby shower I had planned and dreamed of turned into a drive-through shower (under a storm, to boot), and “baby sprinkles” from family and friends had to be separate to be able to include everyone on different days.

And then, in the midst of this chaotic time of worldwide uncertainty, our lives changed with the most precious gift. On Nov. 14, my husband and I welcomed our little boy, Tristan Xavier. At the hospital, no guests were allowed.

Throughout our delivery and hospital stay, it was just Erick and me with our baby and yet, as challenging as 2020 was due to the pandemic, everything seemed right in our little world.

This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 6:00 AM.