My Silver Lining
By Allie Smith

2020 will be known as the year that obligated the world to restructure its societal norms.

The ripple effects of these sudden and forced changes were felt globally, and for new moms these changes hit hard. As a society, COVID-19 altered our ability to work, travel, attend special events, and simply enjoy each other’s company. The uncertainty of it all diminished any hope of staying calm and carrying on.

Being a first-time mom in a pandemic flooded my thoughts with fears and a constant feeling of uneasiness, but I was not going to let something that was out of my control control me.

That's when I decided to change my inner monologue. My first step was accepting the fact that there was no alternative; I was going to be raising one of the many COVID-19 babies.
 
Ordinarily our friends and family would have filled the house those first few months, going above and beyond to help in any way they could, but that was not the case.

The repercussions from COVID-19 did not leave us completely untouched. My grandmother passed away during this time (non-COVID related) and sadly, was not able to meet her first great grandbaby in person. One life was lost almost alongside the long-awaited birth of another. It is hard for me to accept that she was only three hours away, but again it was out of our control; the pandemic put us both under lockdown. I would give anything to introduce my grandmother to Vivian, just once.
 
That is when I realized that through one of the most unpredictable events, our family was given the opportunity to experience the pandemic through a unique lens. We quickly learned to refocus our attention on the positives of having a baby during a global pandemic.

For example, both Mom and Dad get to experience an extended maternity/paternity leave together. This silver lining offered us a once in a lifetime opportunity: a chance to experience something that many other parents were not given. Quarantine enabled us to slow down, unplug and build our foundation as a family.
 
Once we were able to look beyond the loss, our fears, and the uncertainties, we began to appreciate the little gifts we were given. Our brightest silver lining was welcoming our firstborn, Vivian Moore, on March 7, 2020 in Rhode Island.

How sweet is Vivian in our Grace Set?