Gen COVID: I worry for my child who has known nothing but the pandemic
CBC
This is a First Person column by Omair Imtiaz, a father in Prince Edward Island. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
The last two years have truly been one for the books.
Not only did we have to endure the trials and tribulations of raising our first child while battling postpartum depression but we also made a whole new career change, moved from the city to the country, and navigated a global health crisis — all at the same time.
Our reflections from these experiences have led me to believe that raising a child in these past two COVID-filled years was an exhausting and often isolating experience.
Looking back, I can understand how several factors led to my wife's postpartum depression in an intense and unforgiving way. Kara has always had a history of depression but it was easily managed.
However, after a long and traumatizing labour experience, suddenly she was filled with a life-changing amount of responsibility.
We had Khadija Omair McPeak on Nov. 30, 2019, during the first snowstorm of the year as winter blues were starting to set in.
During this exact timeframe, COVID-19 was starting to spread in China, although we wouldn't be personally affected for a little while.
By March 2020, stores were suddenly down to one parent for shopping.
They often had long lines because of reduced capacities and many times essential items, such as food, were out of stock. My wife remembers many times how she had to hold a newborn all bundled up in a line of 50 people at the Walmart in Charlottetown during the infamous "toilet paper hoarding" period.
Kara also remembers having to buy three or four packages of Khadija's special formula at a time because she was so nervous that she would be unable to get it later. Her fears were not unwarranted; some weeks, the aisles lay bare.
At the same time, essential health services like child vaccines only allowed a single parent to be present, leaving that family member to struggle with an infant during a highly stressful situation.
Since my wife had postpartum, that task was left up to me.
I'll never forget Khadija's cries and how helpless I felt.