A midwife during Covid19

I share my story, as an employee of the Israeli healthcare system.

I am a midwife in the delivery room at Sheba Hospital.

Putting on a face mask and putting on a protective gown is not new to me.

Based on protocols by the Ministry of Health, birth must be practiced in protective robes and masks.  This was a routine procedure demanded by the Ministry of Health even during routine days, before the coronavirus plague.

The purpose of the procedure is to keep infections away from both the midwife and the patients. Therefore, the midwife, a minute before delivering the newborn from his mother's painful womb, puts on herself robe and wears a mask.

After the birth, as soon as the crying newborn rests on the chest of his happy mother and everyone present in the room rejoices, the midwife peels off the burden of the shields - the robe and the mask and continues with the postpartum care procedure on the happy family. This is how it used to be, before Covid19.

Now, we wear masks and robes on a regular basis.

For instance, when we merely connect to a monitor to hear the fetal pulse and comprehend how the fetus feels before it is born, when we help mothers who cry with labor pains, and also when we try to calm the stressed husbands.

The protection of the mask and robe is unquestionable and important.  Even if oppressive.

Although because of the mask, the smile isn’t visible, but the eyes are smiling and our voice is heard well through it.

* Sorry for the mistakes in English