Christy McVeigh and her husband have compromised a lot in their personal lives because of COVID-19.
“We got married in COVID last year. We had 13 people and were supposed to have 180,” McVeigh said.
One thing she didn’t expect, when she learned she was pregnant, was how those sacrifices would continue, a year and a half into the pandemic.
Like so many expecting parents, her husband Tim has been told he is not welcome to attend ultrasound appointments at their medical imaging clinic.
“Not having him there with me, I was really upset. It’s supposed to be a really enjoyable time, and if something was wrong I would have to do it alone,” McVeigh said. “It’s unfair, as a father to be basically left behind, he’s being treated second class, and it’s just not fair.”
The reason McVeigh was given was that they were “limiting people in the clinic” due to COVID-19.
Doctors said having consistent support during pregnancy is critical. Dr. Tali Bogler, chair of family medicine obstetrics at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, said unforeseen challenges can arise, even at the first ultrasound appointment.
“We know that one in four pregnancies end up in a miscarriage, so even that very first dating ultrasound, while it might seem trivial to the health care system, it might not just be a dating ultrasound for somebody,” Bogler said. “You might not be able to see a heartbeat on that ultrasound.”
When it comes to appointments, not every hospital, or ultrasound clinic is the same.
While St. Michael’s in Toronto now allows partners to attend prenatal appointments and most ultrasounds, media representatives for Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, said their policies allow this only for patients who demonstrate a “significant need.”
At Mount Sinai Hospital, the general rule is that partners are not allowed for routine appointments or ultrasounds. Patients who require an essential care partner or escort for their appointment are advised to speak with the clinic ahead of the visit.
The province has not issued any specific guidance when it comes to visitors or spouses attending ultrasounds. In a statement, a spokesperson said these decisions are left to independent health facilities and clinics “based on local context.”
Some professionals are saying it’s time to revisit these directives.
“There needs to be regional direction, so if some hospitals are able to allow partners to attend for prenatal appointments and ultrasounds, most likely all hospitals are able to do that,” Bogler said.
McVeigh agrees. Even though she understands how hospitals and clinics are different from other public spaces, she said it’s hard to see increased capacity limits being allowed at other venues such as restaurants and sports stadiums.
“If we need a vaccine passport to go into a 100 per cent capacity arena,” said McVeigh, “there is no reason a husband shouldn’t see his first-born child.”
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