What It's Been Like Raising a Newborn Baby During a Global Pandemic
When my daughter Zoe turned six weeks old, she saw her grandparents through a plexiglass storm door. They gave us a quick wave, and I could hear my dad’s muffled voice: “Wow, she’s gotten so big.”
I texted them that evening to say it was so good to see them. My dad replied, “It was a nice moment, even though for a minute.”
Luckily my parents had gotten a chance to hold the baby after we came home from the hospital, a few weeks before stay-at-home orders because of COVID-19 were issued. But for her safety and theirs, we decided that “seeing” each other again would be at a distance or on a screen.
Having a newborn in the time of this pandemic has been a uniquely stressful experience. I’m grateful for all the baby cuddles, and it’s wonderful having my two older kids home every day. On one hand, this is the existence I’ve sometimes longed for, having a little more life in the work-life balance. On the other hand, I’m terrified. The fear of losing loved ones has felt paralyzing at times.
I had promised myself when I was pregnant that I wouldn’t be a shut-in once the baby arrived. I had plans to meet friends for lunch, maybe even take a long weekend in Montauk with the family. Instead, home became our refuge. Inside these walls, it could be oddly easy to forget what was going on outside. As I write this, my days are consumed with breast milk and diapers and cooking three square meals while my son and daughter plug away at schoolwork and make TikToks. It all feels strangely... normal. And dare I say, pleasant. It’s domestic bliss meets apocalyptic dread. I realize that unlike countless others on the front lines, or without means, I am very lucky to be able to ride out this crisis in relative comfort.
The time at home has given me a deeper appreciation for so many things. I’m sometimes terrible at keeping in touch with friends around the country, but by week two of staying at home, I was feeling a strong need to check in with people I hadn’t talked to in months. It shined a spotlight on how much we waste (and how the simple act of running to the supermarket is a luxury). It showed how having a hospital bed in a time of need is not something we can take for granted, and how seeing your parents even for a minute can mean so much.
So we dedicated this issue to a place many of us are quite familiar with now: home. For our “Where the Heart Is” feature, we enlisted the help of [18] models, actors, and entrepreneurs, including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tracee Ellis Ross, Taraji P. Henson, and Jessica Alba. They were all kind enough to share a view of their lives now, along with a little beauty inspiration. And if there’s one positive takeaway in these trying times, it’s this: Kindness, unlike toilet paper, is in ample supply.
This story originally appeared in the June 2020 issue of Allure. Learn how to subscribe here.
Read more stories about life during COVID-19:
The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Changing What I Consider "Essential" in Beauty
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Now watch Lauren Jauregui share the first and last five steps of her day:
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Originally Appeared on Allure
