As we near Mother's Day, let's take a minute to talk about moms, moms-to-b- those who very much want to be moms, and the women who care for them all—women like Mary Habashy, a certified nurse midwife with Geisinger. She's the mother of a 3-year-old boy, and in about a week, a new baby girl.
We had a talk with Mary, who does gynecologic and OB care for Geisinger facilities in the State College area, about what she has seen through the pandemic. She says it has been a daunting year full of questions.
"Of course, it's just the fear of what is this going to do to my pregnancy? To my baby? What are my risks? What should I do? What shouldn't I do? Who should I see? Who shouldn't I see?" she said. "I think just the overall fear that the general public has had, compounded with, 'OK, my baby could be potentially involved! " So I think there has been a lot of fear."
Initially, Mary says it was difficult being a provider, delivering babies when they couldn't communicate or connect well with their patients because they had to wear so much PPE or personal protective equipment. She points out that some of her patients experienced profound COVID losses during pregnancy. Then came questions about the vaccine, which she says is safe and recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Now that the clouds are somewhat lifting, Mary's message is a more personal one to recognize that Mother's Day can be a challenging day for many people.
"I lost my mom when I was really young, and also have experienced pregnancy losses myself. I've had times I wanted to fast forward through Mother's Day."
Mary's advice as we approach the weekend is to honor and recognize any woman who is important in your life.
Mary knows there are a lot of questions about midwife care. You can get more information here.