Pregnant in Covid-19 times: An example of how women are made to feel powerless in the healthcare system

Me on a hike two days before giving birth to my son.

I’ve been pregnant since the beginning of the Covid-19 chaos and I’ve realized that this time around is no different than when I was pregnant three years ago with my daughter, yet I’m treated as if the very nature of me being pregnant makes me fragile and treated as if I’m in a state of “sickness” and that I have to live in a bubble or I’ll contract covid.

This is what is inherently wrong with our current healthcare— pregnancy is not a disease and informed pregnant women should be heard.

As luck would have it, I got pregnant about a week or two after Spain was on a strict lockdown, which ended up being one of the strictest of any country in the world. For six long, tortuous weeks, we could only leave the house to see the doctor, go to work if our job was deemed “essential” (i.e. you couldn’t work from home), walk the dog, or buy essential items like food and medicine. Children were not allowed to leave the house under any circumstances unless the primary caretaker was home alone and had to leave the house for one of the above mentioned reasons. Despite these less-than-ideal circumstances, we managed to survive the strict lockdown without killing each other.

I’m currently in the beginning of my third trimester of pregnancy still in the midst of the covid pandemic and what’s they’re calling the beginning of the “second wave” (if you believe whether or not it’s truly a pandemic that’s another story). I’m due to give birth mid Decemberish which is also the middle of cold and flu season in any given normal year. Pregnant women’s immune systems are naturally suppressed during pregnancy so that the mother’s immune system doesn’t attack the fetus.

I’ve noticed that because I’m pregnant people look at me with a fearful look as though I pose an extremely high risk of contracting covid and that I should bathe myself with hand sanitizer, never leave home without a face mask and better yet, don’t even bother leaving the house and I certainly shouldn’t go to the park with my daughter. My truth is that I’m healthy and strong and that my risk of contracting covid is no higher than anyone else. From an energetic perspective, I feel as though my baby and I are protected by the spiritual world because I’m bringing a new life into this world who’s coming into this world amid chaos for a reason.

Now for my rant.

What really pisses me off is how doctors and OBGYNs treat women, especially pregnant women like they are little children who can’t trust their intuitive wisdom and need to be belittled and controlled so they “follow the rules”. This mindset leads to them talking down to women to make them feel stupid and powerless so they feel ashamed and guilted into submission without questioning the medical authority. Therefore, the current toxic medical model acts like the strict parent and women are treated like rebellious children.

While pregnant I’ve experienced this from my OBGYN:

• Getting an eye roll from here when I told her that I conceived using the Fertility Awareness Method and she therefore doubted how I calculated when I ovulated and conceived.

• Being told I have to get the pertussis vaccine while I’m pregnant, using fear tactics and not facts on the lack of current evidence it’s safe long-term for mother and baby. Please read The Vaccine Friendly Plan for evidence based recommendations about whether or not vaccines are safe for pregnant women (spoiler: there is currently no scientific evidence showing that vaccinating pregnant woman is risk free for mother and baby).

• Being told that consuming liver isn’t recommended because livers are our body’s “filters” and contain toxins, hormones and vaccines. Wait a sec, didn’t you just say I needed to get vaccinated while pregnant??? Does that mean that my liver could be “toxic” too? Makes no sense! The truth is the liver isn’t a filter and isn’t separate from the body’s immune system and metabolism. The liver transforms chemicals into their less toxic forms so they can be eliminated via the urine or bile. They don’t hold onto toxins like it’s some sort of biological deposit box. In fact, liver is one of the richest sources of B12, iron, folate, choline and several other nutrients and has been consumed by traditional cultures for centuries.

• I got an eye roll from her when I told her that I wanted to give birth at home when I was pregnant with my daughter. She quickly told me that if I presented any risk I would have to give birth in her private clinic. Ummmm how did women give birth centuries and thousands of years before as a species? In fact, the current evidence does not support the current birth practices and interventions in hospitals. Now that we’re in the era of covid, home births have become more common, in Spain at least, to avoid going to hospitals.

Other things that have pissed me off during both pregnancies is being treated by doctors and others as if pregnant women are fragile and in a sickly state.

Pregnancy isn’t a disease! It’s a natural state of being and pregnant women are perfectly capable of doing most things like exercising. Gasp!

I’ve done yoga, some light strength training and have continued with my daily hikes in the woods, some of which last 2.5 hours. And you know what? I feel great! I know how far to push myself and how to listen to my body. I know when I’ve pushed myself too far, which doesn’t happen often, and I know how to slow down and have restorative days.

I believe that pregnant women are even more in tune with their bodies because their intuition is heightened, and unfortunately modern society doesn’t acknowledge or value that.

Since we are living in covid times, everyone is obsessed with disinfecting just about everything and using harsh chemicals and hand sanitizer which probably cause more harm than good, especially to our microbiomes- Chris Kresser article In Spain and I’m sure many other countries around the world, there are hand sanitizers at every store entrance and just about everywhere. I avoid them like the plague unless I’m forced to use it, which I also think is ridiculous. And if it were up to me, I personally wouldn’t wear a face mask, but they’re required everywhere in Spain no matter what. I’m not getting into a pro or anti mask debate. Personally, I hate wearing them because I feel like I can’t breathe properly and I don’t personally feel like they protect me.

What I do have a million times more faith in than any vaccine, chemical cleansers or face masks is supporting my immune system through diet and lifestyle (i.e. reducing my exposure to toxins and harsh chemicals, daily mindful movement and stress management).

For example, I eat a varied diet that’s low in processed food and high in protein, colorful fruits and vegetables and healthy fats. I supplement with vitamin D3, C and omega 3 fatty acids in addition to my high quality prenatal vitamins. If I feel cold-like symptoms coming on, I also take echinacea and propolis, which have been shown to be safe in pregnant women, as well as homemade bone broth. These are the basics of good immune health which few health officials or government officials are talking about.

Studies have shown that adequate serum vitamin D levels are protective against covid. Additionally, we know that vitamins A, C, D, zinc, selenium and omega 3 fatty acids are crucial for immune health- so why is no one educating the general public, and especially pregnant women, about this instead of waiting for a vaccine that will likely not be successful given the poor track record of coronavirus vaccines in the past and possibly not safe due to the rush to market?????

When it comes to pregnancy, I encourage women to trust their intuition, use common sense which is seriously lacking these days amidst the rampent the fear mongering, and get informed because most doctor’s recommendations are outdated or not backed by the current scientific evidence.

Recommended resources for pregnant women

Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols

Dirty Genes by Dr. Ben Lynch

The Postnatal Depletion Cure by Dr. Oscar Serrallach

Birthing From Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah Berkley, MD

The Vaccine Friendly Plan by Dr. Paul Thomas

Grow Baby Health