Craziness has begun in our modest birth center.

All staff is required to now temperature check prior to entering facility. Shower once at work (hair doesn’t have to be washed). Put “street clothes and shoes” in labeled bag to get back at end of shift. Change into clean scrubs at work. Wear our reusable fabric masks all day. Clean everything in between each client. Shower at the end of the day. Leave work scrubs and shoes there to be cleaned. Change back into street clothes and shoes. Put labeled bag into dirty hamper as well as mask to be washed.

Same protocol for call shifts. If we get called in for a birth we have to shower and change as well. If it is a precipitous birth we will be taking “whore baths” in the sink…

We are also going to start wearing reusable gowns for births and either wide headbands or O.R. caps if available for our hair.

For clients we have added a few more changes. Asking for no one to come with them to visits and to facetime for ultrasounds. Also offering more telehealth visits and car visits to decrease foot traffic inside our facility and cleaning.

The amount of exposure happening is crazy and growing closer and closer. We have 2 clients waiting on test results and if positive employees that came into contact with them may have to self-isolate which would force our modestly staffed birth center into a temporary closure…

All prayers appreciated.