32 weeks pregnant marked a major milestone for me and my husband.

It was the first prenatal visit he had been allowed to attend since March 13, the day our county, state, and most places around the country shut down due to COVID-19.

Our 32-weeks visit looked a lot different than our visit in March, when I’d only been a couple of months pregnant and we had walked freely into the doctor’s office together.

When he accompanied me to this 32 weeks visit, I had to remind him of the regulations that, by now, I was used to. Face masks, temperature at the door, wait in the car until it’s your turn.

Despite the added precautions, we were elated that he would be allowed to attend this ultrasound since he had not been able to attend the 20-week anatomy scan – the gender reveal.

To us, it is the small victories that mean the most.

This pregnancy, our first, has not been the easiest. No pregnancy is, of course, but COVID-19 has added a whole new dimension.

Not all of those changes have been bad. I’ve learned a lot during this pregnancy – and a lot of what I’ve learned has been positive.

The World Does Go On

My husband and I, at the time both teachers, attended our last doctor’s appointment on what would have been our last day with students in the classroom – but of course, we didn’t know that. Blissfully unaware, we both signed out of school around noon that day, went to our doctor’s appointment, and then went out to dinner together (indoors, with no face masks, and sitting in a crowded dining room with other patrons).

It was that Sunday that we learned that our schools would both be closing for the next few weeks – a closure that eventually extended to the summer months.

From day one, though, we couldn’t allow these massive changes and upheavals to upset our routine. You see, we also own a farm, and that day, we had lambs being born. Although our phones were blowing up, we were encapsulated in our little bubble – we still had work to do.

And that’s something that you realize during a pandemic – that life goes on. Although there are earth-shattering changes going on around you, you still need to keep going, and we did just that.

Being pregnant during the pandemic has only underscored this sentiment. I can’t stop doing what I normally do – I still have this little boy that I need to take care of. He comes first.

That has been calming – there is always a grounding force keeping me centered throughout all of these changes.

The World Might Not Look the Same

Although I’m terrified about whether the world will look the same for our son, as he is growing up as it did for us, I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.

We have seen many positive changes come about as a result of COVID-19. People turn to community more often. They think about their neighbors and their needs. They support local businesses, particularly local agriculture. Perhaps the world won’t look the same for our son as it did for us, but maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Worry is the Biggest Enemy

Early on, I found myself scrolling through the news for several hours every night. That was not doing me any favors. I went to bed feeling anxious and worried, terrified that my husband or I would contract the virus and it would harm our unborn son.

But all of that worry was for naught. I am healthy, my baby is healthy. Nobody has contracted COVID-19 in our small, isolated community.  Things are slowly returning to normal.

Being pregnant during this pandemic has shown me that worry – not the virus – is the real enemy. I think that’s a lesson I’ll always carry with me.

Your “People” Will Still Be There For You

I originally thought a baby shower would be out of the question. We tentatively planned for a virtual shower, and when things started to open back up in June, we realized that an in-person shower would be possible (albeit a much smaller one).

Despite the necessary precautions, the day was everything I always wanted my baby shower to be. That’s because I was able to spend it with the people who matter most to me.

Early on in the pandemic, we isolated ourselves in our home. Visits were done over FaceTime – I remember showing my parents the blurry picture of our 20-week ultrasound.

Although those days were definitely not what I expected for my pregnancy, when it really comes down to it, the pandemic only underscored how much the people in my life care for me and for my unborn son. We all wanted to see each other in person, of course, but we settled for virtual options.

This showed me just how much everybody cared about my well-being and the well-being of my baby. Being pregnant during the pandemic showed me that no matter what, I still have a solid group of people who will have my back no matter what.

The “Extras” Don’t Matter

There have been a few disappointing moments during my pregnancy, whenever I look at the picture of my 32-week sonogram on the refrigerator, those disappointments melt away.

I’m about four weeks away from having my son, and I know that this feeling will likely be even more pronounced when I hold him in my arms.

At the end of the day, what being pregnant during the pandemic has shown me is that it doesn’t matter whether you have a fancy baby shower, a designer nursery, or the other frills. What matters is that you have the baby – everything else just fails to be important in comparison.

After all, pregnancy is not about the gender reveal or the cute Instagram babymoon photos or anything else, for that matter – nothing except the miracle that you are currently creating. Although I would much rather have been pregnant during a more “normal” time in history, I am incredibly grateful for the lessons that COVID-19 has taught me nonetheless.