‘It’s been quite a week’ pregnant doctor tweets about working amid COVID-19

Eye opening.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty surreal for a lot of us. Between restrictions on movements and schooling our children from home, it's a very strange time right now. Saying that I feel very lucky that I'm able to sit this pandemic out from the comfort of my own home and that my family are keeping themselves safe by staying indoors. It's a privilege that not everyone has, especially those working on the frontline like our doctors and nurses. Pregnant doctor Kate Otto Chebly recently tweeted about what it's like to be working in a hospital amid coronavirus right now while heavily pregnant.

A quick note to say: pregnant healthcare workers, we see you and we appreciate you! As a physician and mama navigating this new COVID era, it’s been quite a week. pic.twitter.com/aSmLXTTSKA

— Kate Otto Chebly, MD MPA (@kateotto) March 24, 2020

Kate Tweeted a photo of herself and a colleague in their scrubs and facemask holding their bumps. Pregnancy is a time when most mums are extra cautious, especially around illnesses like colds and flus, so I can't imagine how stressful it must be to be pregnant and potentially exposed to COVID-19.

"Do I keep working on the frontlines even without adequate PPE, enduring anxiety over the unknown consequences of my choice? Or do I step away from work entirely, feeling as though I’ve abandoned my colleagues and patients at a critical time (and being unpaid in the meantime)?"

Chebly went on to say that it's hard to know what is the right choice to make right now;

"Balancing mother/physician roles is a challenge at baseline: we are devoted to the beloved little human within us, and we are committed to our dear patients around us. How to ever get that balance just right?"

The current situation is a very stressful time for us all but especially for those working with patients diagnosed to COVID-19 whose efforts we appreciate immensely.