Pregnant during a pandemic: Stress, financial strain, inability to find diapers

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Pregnancy is a special time full of joy and excitement, but for expectant mothers the pandemic can bring fear, uncertainty and plenty of anxiety--especially when faced with financial struggles brought on by COVID-19. Samantha Rangel is a first time mother but, her experience has not been what she expected. She's facing pregnancy in a global pandemic, with no job, no income and no luck with unemployment. “It’s just stressful, and I know my son feels everything I feel as far as stress,” said Rangel, who is 36 weeks pregnant. She was laid off work in March and filed for unemployment right away, but she’s had no luck, although she said she's called hundreds of times--easily over 500, if not more, she said. She needs that money to prepare for the arrival of her son. “With me being pregnant, I need to prepare for my son. I still have bills to pay, that doesn’t stop,” said Rangel. On top of all the added stress, getting typical baby preparation items, like diapers and wipes, has also been a struggle. “They’re sold out everywhere," she said. All of this stress is on top of the limitations in delivery rooms as COVID-19 overwhelms some hospitals. Doctors at UNC said they’ve recently seen that stress increase among pregnant women. Dr. Matthew Alvarez from UNC said, "At the same time, it's difficul to look at somebody and say, 'Stress can effect your child's growth, so don't be stressed out.'" Doctors have also never had to help manage stress for so many pregnant women on such a large scale. It's a struggle for pregnant women and doctors alike--everybody's having to learn together. "Everybody is learning to try and improve things,” Dr. Alvarez said. Dr. Alvarez said they are working on teaching expectant mothers creative ways to stay calm and relaxed – like meditation, breathing exercises and support groups.