by Four Women. Four Births. One Powerful Truth: Women Deserve to Choose Their Birth Journey
In early 2021, a photographer friend and I began a journey — one that would reshape how we understood birth, choice, andresilience.
Our goal was simple: to listen.
We wanted to hear from women who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What we discovered were stories of strength, heartbreak, and hope.
What we found was a quiet revolution.
The Pandemic Changed Birth
Childbirth is always personal — messy, beautiful, painful, empowering. But during the pandemic, it became something else too: restricted.
Suddenly, hospital rules changed overnight.
Partners were no longer allowed.
Doulas were banned.
Masks covered faces and emotions.
And women, at one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives, were left to navigate birth alone — without support, without choice.
But even in the middle of this storm, some women found the courage to take control of their own stories.
Four Women. Four Powerful Stories.
1. Meera: Reclaiming Her Space With a Home Birth
Meera had given birth once before — in a hospital, surrounded by bright lights and strangers.
This time, with the pandemic bringing in stricter rules, she knew she wanted something different. Something more peaceful. More hers.
She chose a home birth.
“I didn’t just want to avoid the hospital,” she said. “I wanted to feel safe and in control.”
With her midwife, her partner, and soft music playing, Meera welcomed her baby in the comfort of her own home — surrounded by love, not fear.
2. Aisha: A Mother’s Fight in the NICU
Aisha’s baby was born prematurely and immediately taken to the NICU.
Because of COVID rules, she wasn’t allowed to hold him for days. Those hours, she said, were the darkest of her life.
But she didn’t give up.
She pumped milk around the clock. She called every nurse. She memorized every beep of the machines over the phone.
Finally, she was allowed in — masked, gloved, but present.
“Even with all that gear,” she said, “he knew I was his mother.”
3. Priya: Giving Birth Alone, but Not UnseenWhen Priya went into labor, her partner was stuck abroad. Hospitals wouldn’t allow anyone else in — not even video calls.
She was told she would have to labor completely alone.
But Priya found her strength. Her doula stayed in the hospital parking lot and coached her over the phone. Her mother lit a diya at home and prayed through the night.
“I was alone in the room,” Priya said, “but spiritually, I wasn’t. I carried their love with me.”
4. Tara: From Plan to Emergency — and the Community That Carried Her
Tara had planned a calm, natural birth.
Instead, complications led to an emergency C-section — and deep disappointment.
“I felt like my body failed me,” she admitted.
But then something beautiful happened.
Her neighbors dropped off meals.
Her cousin stayed for a week to help her recover.
Friends set up video calls to keep her company.
“It wasn’t the birth I wanted,” she said, “but I learned that sometimes the healing happens after the birth — in the hands that hold you.”
What These Women Taught Us
Each story is different.
But all of these women shared one powerful thing: they didn’t let the chaos define their experience.
In a world that stripped them of choices, they found new ways to choose.
They chose to trust their bodies.
They chose to fight for connection.
They chose to rewrite the narrative — on their own terms.
We All Have a Role in This
These stories aren’t just for mothers.
They’re for all of us — friends, partners, healthcare providers, and policymakers.
- To partners: Your support matters.
- To birth workers: Empathy heals.
- To systems: Trust women. Listen to them. Respect their choices.
Because when women are given the right to choose — to birth with support, dignity, and autonomy — birth becomes something more than survival.
It becomes power.
It becomes hope.
To Every Woman Who Gave Birth During the Pandemic
You are unbreakable.
Your story matters.
And it deserves to be told — again and again.
