User post by @alyssa.paros

@alyssa.paros Happy in and out day, baby girl! You have officially been earth side longer than you were in my belly. I will never forget the day you came into this world at 8:07 AM. Your birth was perfect. I tell everyone, I would have you again tomorrow. Your story made a hard left at about 7:30 that night. And I think I’m finally ready to tell everyone why. Being a healthcare worker these past 17 mo has been hard. I found out I was pregnant with you 1 week before the world changed. Quarantine isn’t a thing in healthcare. You and I worked thru it all together. I talked to you daily about how strong we were. How were would get thru this together. We almost made it to maternity leave unscathed. At 7:30 the night you were born, a nurse came in and gave me news that crushed me. She said as I adjusted my mask as she walked in the door, “Yes, you need to put that on. You tested positive for COVID.” What? I had been tested TWICE within the past 4 days as per state guidelines. Both negative. Daddy asked for a repeat. The doctor obliged. POSITIVE. I lost it. I had done everything. I wasn’t careless like the media was portraying people who got COVID. I went to work and came home. Daddy ran all the errands. I didn’t even eat at work. I ate in my car. I sanitized my desk daily. I immediately showered after work and clothes hit the washer ASAP. We masked all the time. COVID didn’t care. The next 24 h, we moved rooms, we did everything in our power to get home, safely away from the leering eyes and feeling of leprosy. I mourned moments I wouldn’t have. I had already lost your brother meeting you in the hospital. Now, he wouldn’t meet you till a week later. I didn’t get those quiet moments with you snuggled close. I kept my distance. There is nothing quite like feeling like you are endangering your newborn every moment she works on her latch, or falls asleep nursing. I could quite literally kill the very person I worked so hard to get here. Baby girl, it was HARD. But, in those darkest moments, we had our Superman. Continued in the comments.