Cuba: Families growing amid pandemic times

The pandemic has delayed many people’s future goals and plans, which had been in their minds before 2020. Some young couples, for instance, had dreamed of bringing a child to the world and their lives. However, the fear of the disease paused their dreams. Although it did not affect the same all of us, some felt their hands tied.

Months ago, COVID-19 triggered fear and insecurity due to the lack of awareness of a disease that made headlines, and the number of infections from Asia, Europe, to America, was growing more and more, as well as the number of deaths, which concerned everyone because of the threat of getting sick and developing some problems.

Although the pandemic is still out there, there is a feeling of safety, at least in Cuba, as almost the entire population is vaccinated against Covid-19, even with booster doses. The few cases officially reported are clear signs of the efficiency of Abdala and Soberana, not to mention that sick individuals experience just mild symptoms of the disease.

It took us by surprise, early in the year, a positive pregnancy test. Truth is that, although the idea of having a child was already in our minds, we never thought it would come so quickly. January kicked off with such an excellent news for the family, calmly, as we all got vaccinated in December, a guarantee to our safety.

Nonetheless, we have not been remiss, on the contrary. Being a pregnant woman in the family, more precautionary measures are taken: all of us wear face masks, even inside our own home. We tried to avoid even open, crowded spaces, which could pose some threats.

We go to every consultation in different specialties: nutrition, stomatology, psychology, internal medicine, genetics, gynecology, complying all sanitary measures. The family doctor and nurse provide us extra care. In addition to regular pregnancy tests, there is always a follow up once a respiratory distress comes up.

Our pregnancy has come now that we have more experience on SARS-Cov-2 and Covid-19, which prevent us from pushing the panic button unnecessarily. But we are aware of every protective measure we must take as well as the symptoms caused by the Omicron variant, predominant strain right now.

In the last few weeks, when stomach discomforts, nauseas, dizziness, fatigue, disgust at smell and food, and migraine, have reduced, our future baby made us happy as he or she moved within my womb for the first time. And in the beginning of a new chapter, the delivery day, light will shine bright in our growing family.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff