Allison longed to have a baby for years. It wasn’t the right time until she completed a 10 month teaching fellowship in China. Once she got back home, she and her partner Devin moved quickly. They bought a house, got married and became pregnant all within 5 months. 

She had a physically easy pregnancy but it took a toll on her emotionally once COVID-19 hit in her second trimester. She was very grateful for her healthy pregnancy but felt like she was robbed of her first pregnancy experience due to the pandemic. Her husband couldn’t come to her ultrasounds or appointments, her baby shower was canceled and she couldn’t share her pregnancy with her family and friends. 

Allison’s due date came and went and after a valiant attempt at inducing labor naturally, she ended up getting medically induced at 41 weeks. After a long 36 hour labor, nearly 5 hours of pushing and a forceps delivery, her daughter Finley was born. 

The 4th trimester was challenging for Allison, but breastfeeding was successful. She decided to hire a postpartum doula and that was a total game changer. Nearly 3 months after Finley’s birth, Allison ended up in the ER due to a gallbladder attack. She opted to have her gallbladder removed and hasn’t looked back since.

pregnancy during covid

Allison Katayama Bio

Allison lives in Vallejo, CA with her husband Devin and 7 month old daughter Finley. She is a stay at home mom at the moment but an ESL teacher by trade. She has been a big fan of the Birth Hour for a very long time and is a graduate of the Know Your Options course. Allison hopes that her story will resonate with other moms and moms-to-be! She is very happy to connect with anyone who would like to reach out. Connect with Allison at demerise89@gmail.com.

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