PBS News Hour

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Sreenivasan

ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THIS MOTHER'S DAY IS PERHAPS BEING CELEBRATED IN WAYS NEVER DONE BEFORE. BACK IN MARCH, CHRISTINA LEWIS HALPERN SHARED HER EXPERIENCE ABOUT GIVING BIRTH TO HER THIRD CHILD IN NEW YORK CITY, THE EPICENTER OF THE PANDEMIC. NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT KARLA MURTHY CHECKED BACK IN TO SEE HOW SHE'S DOING THIS MOTHERS DAY, WITH HER NEW DAUGHTER. >>

Reporter

WHEN WE LAST SPOKE MACY WAS TWO DAYS OLD. >> YEAH, OH, MY GOSH. WELL MACY IS SIX WEEKS AND THREE DAYS OLD. AND SHE'S GROWN A TON. SHE'S GREAT! THINGS ARE-- YOU KNOW, THINGS HAVE BEEN GOOD OVERALL. >> I'VE HEARD THAT A LOT OF NEW PARENTS HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT TO BRING THEIR BABIES IN TO SEE THE DOCTORS FOR CHECK- UPS. WHAT HAS THAT EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE FOR YOU? >> WE TOOK-- WE TOOK MACY TO THE DOCTOR. AND WE WERE JUST VERY CAREFUL. BUT WE HAVE TO TRUST THAT THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. AND ALL THE DOCTORS NOW HAVE NEW PROTOCOLS. I DIDN'T EVEN TOUCH ANYTHING. I DIDN'T OPEN A DOOR. THEY DID A SURVEY ELECTRONICALLY SO I DIDN'T HAVE TO TOUCH PAPER OR THEIR PENS. I SUPPOSE I DID HAVE TO HAND OVER MY CREDIT CARD. BUT IT WAS NEARLY CONTACTLESS. BUT WE DID DO TELEMEDICINE. SHE HAD A RASH, SO WE CALLED OUR DOCTOR IN THE CITY AND I HELD HER UP TO THE SCREEN AND HE, HE TOLD US WHAT TO DO. AND, YEAH, THE RASH WENT AWAY. >> HOW HAS THE IDEA OF MOTHERHOOD CHANGED NOW, NOW THAT WE'RE IN THIS PANDEMIC? >> YEAH, IT'S MOTHER'S DAY AND I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THAT AND BEING A PARENT AND WHAT IT MEANS NOW. SO, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN MY JOB TO KEEP THEM PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY SAFE RIGHT? BUT NOW THAT'S BECOME BOTH A LOT HARDER, BUT ALSO IN A WAY A LOT CLEARER. THERE'S C.D.C. GUIDANCE SAYING WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO AND WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO. AND THERE ISN'T ANY ARGUING ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW, GET THAT MASK ON. >> SHE HAS NO IDEA THE WORLD THAT SHE WAS JUST BROUGHT IN TO. >> NO. SHE'S LIVED HER ENTIRE LIFE IN LOCKDOWN. WE TALK ABOUT THAT ALL THE TIME. I THINK IT HELPS TO THINK ABOUT ONE DAY, THIS WILL BE, YOU KNOW, THIS WILL BE OVER. AND WHAT I'LL TELL MY GRANDKIDS AND WHAT SHE'LL TELL HER GRANDKIDS, AND WHAT A STORY SHE'LL HAVE, RIGHT? SOMETIMES I WONDER IF MY CHILDREN AND EVEN US WILL TURN INTO A NEW GREATEST GENERATION. I MEAN, I LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT FROM GREAT STRUGGLES AND THIS COLLECTIVE HARDSHIP COME-- COME RESILIENCE.