45 | A Blessing Amidst Covid-19 - Karabo Rankapole

Karabo joins us from South Africa to share her story of courage amid a changing world. She gave birth on April 6th, 2020, during the COVID-19 restrictions, which changed their birth plan so abruptly and drastically that it would alter all of her best-made plans. Karabo had a good pregnancy that encompassed the common discomforts and excitement of growing a new human and a family entail. Working as a teacher required her to be on her feet frequently and maintain student engagement without breaks to match her needs. But she enjoyed her pregnancy and started to prepare herself for what the actual childbirth experience would be like.

She and her partner prepared themselves for birth by creating a playlist to foster a peaceful and joyous environment in their birthing space to help with her emotions and physical movement. They wanted to capture the birth in video form to have as a memento for their family. Their plans came crashing to a halt as Karabo arrived at the hospital with her parents and awaiting her partner’s arrival. The door attendants simply stated, “This is where your journey ends, and hers begins.” They took her bags into the hospital, and while in labor, she separated from her loved ones to take on the task of giving birth to strangers in an unfamiliar space.

She would later learn that her partner would be able to visit for one hour per day, but the visitation time would conflict with his work hours and the city’s newly implemented curfew to help reduce COVID-19 exposure. Every step further, she took into the hospital required a shift in her mind and spirit. She would come out of her labor delivery as a new being with tremendous strength, and her postpartum recovery continued to bring about change.