I stand in my bedroom with a mask on facing my fiancé Jordyn and our four-day old newborn daughter Carina. My oldest daughter Luna is in the other room shouting with cries and I say to Jordyn “Babe, I have no idea what to do!”
My second daughter Carina Chi was born on Seattle’s hottest day of the year, June 27th 2022. While my fiancé and I were in labor our daughter Luna stayed with the grandparents as we worked tirelessly on bringing Luna’s baby sister home. After a protracted twenty four-hour labor our baby Carina entered the world healthy and happy all thanks to her strong and patient mother Jordyn. After being in postpartum for a couple days it was finally time to bring our newborn home. Knowing how our world gets flipped upside down after a newborn comes home, we decided to make sure Luna stayed with the grandparents for an additional couple nights so we could adapt to our new life. I want to emphasize being away from my daughter for seven whole days left me feeling empty and incomplete.
Our eagerness for our oldest to come home to meet her baby sister had reached max capacity and it was finally time for Luna to return home. Witnessing the moment Luna met her baby sister for the first time was one of my greatest milestones as a parent to date. Luna had so much curiosity around what the baby looked like, how she felt, and ultimately if she was real or just a doll. I wish I could have savored that moment a little bit longer because what we discovered next diverged our family.
Jordyn and I were told Luna was a bit fussy at times and had a runny nose while staying with the grandparents. The day Luna returned home Jordyn and I didn’t notice any signs of sickness and Luna was her normal high energy, laughing, and always singing self. The next morning Luna was sick as ever. Runny nose, fever, fatigue, and a lot of communication saying “I’m itchy” meaning she is uncomfortable in some way. After seeing she had a fever over 100 degrees, we decided to have her take an at home COVID 19 test. It was instantly positive. At this point Jordyn and I are freaking out not knowing what to do. Our biggest concerns were making sure Carina doesn’t get COVID and Jordyn being newly out of giving birth doesn’t get COVID either. “Babe, I have no idea what to do!”
After consulting with our nurse parents and calling Luna’s doctor, it was best we separate the two sisters so Carina doesn’t get sick. I took on the responsibility of being with Luna and watching her while Jordyn committed to staying in our bedroom with Carina away from Luna and myself. With Jordyn and Carina separated from Luna and I it was extremely difficult keeping Luna from seeing her Mami and sister. I had to stay on top of giving Luna medicine and fluids to keep her fever down. I too wanted to be with my fiancé and newborn, but because I was interacting with and comforting Luna, I didn’t want to pass the virus on to Jordyn and the baby. After day two of watching Luna and our little family being separated by a bedroom door, I started to have a sore throat and headaches. I shared this with Jordyn and she was concerned me getting sick would eventually find its way to Jordyn and the baby. At this point Jordyn and I agreed that Luna and I would leave and go to my parents’ house leaving Jordyn with the newborn back at our place.
On the 4th of July I traveled 23 miles to my parents’ house in Shoreline, officially away from my Carina and Jordyn. My parents’ home officially turned into “The Covid House” as this is the home Luna was at during the labor. I sat at home hearing fireworks outside and watching friends and family party through social media as my symptoms really began to turn up. Fatigue, fever, body aches, and chills took over and the decision to go to my parents’ home to receive assistance in watching Luna was right on time.
While being at my parents’ home I continued to check in with Jordyn and Carina to see how they are doing. On July 6th Jordyn updated me that she had tested positive for COVID. Jordyn confirmed she would continue to wear her mask while breastfeeding the baby and to try and rest as much as possible. Jordyn did some research on COVID 19 and newborn babies; positive newborns don’t show symptoms and are okay if they get COVID which was reassuring. However, Jordyn and I were still working to prevent Carina from getting the virus. Once Luna tested positive, it was inevitable that the rest of us would get the virus. The only thing we could do going forward was rest, wear our masks, and quarantine.
There are a number of take aways from this whole event. There are a hundred other worse scenarios that my family could be experiencing right now, and I know that this isn’t the end of the world. I am blessed to have two beautiful daughters and a beautiful healthy future wife. I have always believed in COVID but would have never thought it would hit my little household two years later after it first appeared. This isn’t the only difficult obstacle Jordyn and I will face in parenting. This experience continues to prove that we are very fortunate to have two loving and supporting parents. At a drop of a dime our daughters’ grandparents will stop whatever they have going on in their lives to support and be there for our little familia.
