The joys of motherhood interrupted by pandemic – News – GoErie.com

Even my daughter had to stay home, Jordyn Astorino said. I cry just thinking about it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work, shop, eat and interact with friends and family.

Empty restaurant dining rooms on Mothers Day are just one example of how the coronavirus has disrupted our lives, at least for now.

Perhaps more important than a Sunday brunch that had to be canceled, the following accounts offer a glimpse at how life has changed for mothers and their families.

A Mothers Day to celebrate

When Jordyn Astorino gave birth to her daughter, Rory, two years ago, family members gathered in the Millcreek Township womans Saint Vincent Hospital room to celebrate.

It was much different March 23 after Astorino, 30, gave birth to her son, Brooks.

COVID-19 pandemic restrictions prevented everyone except her husband, Drew Astorino, from being in Astorinos hospital room. And he wasnt allowed to leave the room unless he was going home for the day.

Even my daughter had to stay home, Jordyn Astorino said. I cry just thinking about it.

As a physician assistant at Saint Vincents Westminster Family Medicine, Jordyn Astorino was fully aware of the threat COVID-19 posed as her due date approached.

She took a medical leave 10 days before Brooks birth to reduce the risk she would get COVID-19 or the flu.

When I went into labor, I had to go through the big, yellow tent at Saint Vincent when I arrived, Astorino said, referring to the COVID-19 triage tent the hospital had set up.

It didnt even feel like real life, she added. But the nurses were wonderful and really reassuring.

After Astorino delivered her 8-pound, 2-ounce baby boy, Astorino and her husband were able to use FaceTime to have video calls with family members.

It was only after mom and baby were discharged that the grandparents could see Brooks in person.

But they still had to keep their distance and not kiss the baby, Jordyn Astorino said. But at least they got to meet him.

Everyone else will meet Brooks on Sunday, when the Astorinos host a Mothers Day gathering.

Then we hope to take Brooks to see my grandmother, who is 93, lives at home and hasnt met the baby yet, Astorino said. "Well have see her through the glass, but thats OK.

Meeting at the window

Annette Sherrange, a 70-year-old former teacher and school administrator, moved back to Erie a dozen years ago.

She moved in with her mother, Gilda Carr, to help care for Sherranges father, who was in failing health.

Mother and daughter lived together until November when Carr, now 92, went to live at Manchester Commons after taking a fall.

The routine between mother and daughter has changed since then. Instead of a shared home on West 30th Street, they spent time together at the nursing home and chatted on the phone several times a day.

If she thinks of something, she will give me a call, Sherrange said. If I think of something, I will give her a call.

But calls arent always enough.

Sherrange brought her mom home for a visit at Thanksgiving and again at Christmas. She had planned to bring her home on Mothers Day for dinner with a relative.

With nursing homes in lockdown, that won happen.

Sherrange, who has three children and three grandchildren back in Connecticut, will instead do on Sunday what shes been doing in recent weeks. She will stand outside her mothers window and they will wave and share a smile.

The visit will be brief. Her mother has arthritis and it is hard for her to stand for long.

Two-hour visits, twice a week, have been replaced by these silent meetings at the window, daily calls and use of a video chat device.

But Mothers Day will be different this year. There will be no shared meal, no laughter around the table.

It different, but its doable, Sherrange said. Its been very aggravating not to get there, but what is very fortunate is that shes in a safe place. The care there is very good.

She worries, though.

You have to be accepting of what the situation is, but there is always that worry there, she said.

A visit with her mother isnt the only thing Sherrange is looking forward to. Shes a mother herself and is overdue for a visit with her own children and grandchildren in Connecticut.

Sherrange, who has asthma, said her children worry about her health. She wont go to see them just yet.

But she doesnt want to wait forever. She hopes to make the trip by the end of summer.

As soon as my children feel its safe, I will go on out, she said.

Separated at birth

Loren Cicero was hoping the COVID-19 pandemic would be finished or at least under control when her son, Roman, was due in mid-June.

Roman had other ideas, however. The baby was born at Magee-Womens, UPMC Hamot about seven weeks premature.

I went to my doctor on April 15 and they said I needed to go to the hospital, I was going into labor early, said Cicero, a 35-year-old Edinboro resident.

Doctors at Magee-Womens tried to stop her labor but Roman was born April 21, weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces.

For the past three weeks, Cicero and her husband, Anthony, have been making daily trips to the hospitals neonatal intensive care unit to spend time with Roman.

Each time Cicero arrives at the hospital, she must go through a gauntlet of procedures designed to protect the countys youngest residents from COVID-19.

Right after I walk through the door, they ask me questions about COVID, take my temperature and have me put on a face mask, Loren Cicero said. This last time, they also had me use hand sanitizer.

Ciceros husband is the only other family member permitted in the NICU. Everyone else must make do with short videos and photos of Roman.

COVID-19 guidelines have made it difficult for Loren Cicero to bond with other NICU parents, even though she spends eight hours a day in the unit.

The parent lounge is currently limited to one family at a time, and its tough to share a smile when everyone is wearing a face mask, she said.

The nurses do a really good job at creating a sense of community, Loren Cicero said.

Friends and family celebrated Romans birth with a drive-through baby shower last weekend. Seeing people, even from 6 feet away, helped boost the couples spirits.

Roman is progressing well and could be discharged in a couple of weeks, Loren Cicero said. Hopefully, COVID-19 restrictions will continue to be reduced and the family can all gather to celebrate his birth.

My husband jokes that by the time Roman is walking, we can have everyone visit, Cicero said.

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBRUCE.

Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNMartin.

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The joys of motherhood interrupted by pandemic - News - GoErie.com