Cape Breton mom organizes online prenatal classes during COVID-19

A group of new moms and pregnant women in Cape Breton are taking prenatal education into their own hands after being unable to access supports due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the province tries to flatten the curve, there's an absence of supports like prenatal classes, as well as restrictions on how many support people can be in a room during a delivery.

That sparked an idea for Cassie Gilmour of Sydney, N.S. Pregnant with her second child, Gilmour organized free prenatal classes on the video chat app Zoom.

"Usually the hospital sets up free prenatal courses and they have a baby basics course, they have breastfeeding courses and they're all gone… so there's virtually no prenatal education set up in our area," said Gilmour.

"Especially during a pandemic, there's a lot of people who are scared to give birth right now and to completely take away that education on top of everything else that's going on, it was really worrying a lot of moms."

Doulas and other experts

The classes are being led by doulas — trained birth companions — and other experts.

Jennifer Drummond, a doula and the owner and operator of the Salty Stork in Chéticamp, N.S., spoke in one of the Zoom sessions. She said she tried to shed some light on what women might face in a delivery room.

"As a doula, we don't actually advocate for our clients, but we do give them enough information that empowers them to use the knowledge they gained to ask questions," said Drummond.

Doulas in Nova Scotia are not exempt from the province's rules on having only one support person in a delivery room at a time. That means many mothers are having to choose between having their partner present or their hired doula.

The classes can be found in the CB Pregnant/New Mothers During Quarantine Facebook group, which Gilmour set up. The group now has over 200 members.

Gilmour said the group has helped women learn what to expect on delivery day because other moms have shared their experiences. For example, she said some women found they were unable to access nitrous oxide (laughing gas) as a pain reliever because of the risk of aerosolizing virus particles.

For others, they just need a safe place to share what's on their mind.

"You dream of the baby showers and just everybody rubbing your belly and having that kind of moment and it's completely been taken away from everybody who is currently pregnant," Gilmour said.

"So at least what we can potentially do is prepare ourselves for what's going on right now so we don't have to face any further major disappointment."

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