COVID-19 Brings fear and vastly different birth experiences for saima in chitral, Pakistan

As told to Navroza Sher Ali and edited by Marissa Ware, as part of Safer Together campaign.

COVID19 has changed all our lives and yet, life marches on. Women are still getting pregnant and giving birth during this crisis, making the need for high quality, respectful care even more paramount. From forced medical procedures, mandatory separations of mothers and babies to denial of birth companions, violations of women’s and newborn’s rights have been widespread across geographies and sociodemographics. We have a long way to go to strengthen health systems globally, and as COVID-19 has made clearer than ever, women and newborns need quality maternity care services and health workers must be supported to provide that care. Reform must begin with women’s voices. We must listen to women to understand and respond to their needs, beginning with the resounding call for respectful, dignified care.

My name is Saima and I belong to Chitral, Pakistan.

I was seven months pregnant, when I got to know that my region has experienced the first corona [virus] patient. This news scared me a lot as the health facility nearby, Opeds, shut down and no services like Ultrasound and blood testing was available for pregnant women. My experience in delivering both my babies was very different.  I was not that scared during my pregnancy and delivery of the first baby, though it was my first child and first experience. However, with the second baby, I was very scared because of Corona. My delivery pain started at 8:00 in the morning and it took me 40 minutes to reach the hospital which is quite far from my house.