The coronavirus pandemic has unhinged life as we know it in nearly every aspect, including how women give birth. Welcoming twins in March, just at the start of nationwide lockdowns, was anxiety-riddled for Kathryn McBride, of Wellesley, Mass., to say the least.Then, just days later, one of McBride’s newborns, Conor, was diagnosed with a leading genetic cause of infant death: spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic neuromuscular disease. “The same day my area started to shut everything down was the day I gave birth.
Everything was in flux. Rules were not set in stone at the hospital. My husband was able to attend the birth itself, so that was a positive.