If you and your spouse were going to have a child, would having one during the pandemic matter?

I would have held off at the beginning of the pandemic. Going into the hospital seemed very risky. Just going to the doctor was risky. If I wanted a baby, at this point I would go ahead and try to get pregnant now that my country is over ⅓ fully vaccinated. I think we will see a surge in Christmas time births and through 2022.

I would wait for the reasons @JLeslie cites and also because I would want to make sure that I and my partner did not contract the disease and suffer during the pandemic.

It has been very lonely for women who have been pregnant, given birth, and taken home newborns during COVID. I have a friend who is pregnant now and still is only allowed 1 support person into the hospital during delivery, no matter how long it lasts. Not allowing doulas or a second support person can be very difficult, not to mention the stress about allowing or not allowing visitors and helpful people into the home after delivery. Wearing masks during medical visits can inhibit relationship and trust-building with your obstetrician. There are so many reasons why being pregnant or giving birth during COVID are difficult. I wouldn’t have planned having a child during this time.

I would wait.

Seems like it would make sense to wait if possible, to avoid added risk of catching/spreading COVID and also to ease the burden on the health care system.

My wife and I waited.

My sister was already pregnant when it started and delivered a healthy baby in August. It was a stressful pregnancy for her though.