To avoid exacerbating my wife’s sorrow, I wanted to be strong, or at least to give that impression. However, I could not hide my misery. I could not contain such an overpowering sadness; leaving them was unbearable. I cried too…
No parent should have to be separated from his or her baby child!
How many smiles? How many first times? How many things will I miss? Nothing will ever bring these moments back. No picture, no video, no Skype meeting can replace the weight of his head on my shoulder, his warmth, his baby smell, his grasping of my finger with his cute little hand. Nothing! I will miss it all and I have to accept this fatality. Besides these selfish thoughts, I cannot stop hoping my family will be okay (without me). What if…? I rather not even think about it. This helplessness further worsens my suffering, more than I can have any words to say.
Forty-six more days! An eternity! Will he remember me? Will his cries replace his smiles when in my arms? While mother-baby bonding is essential, it is also important for fathers to spend quality time bonding with their babies. Developing such a deep connection is beneficial for the child development and can help counter issues later on in life. What about the inverse? Will my absence have any impact?
Father-infant bonding is just as important as mother-infant bonding during the immediate postpartum period.Lynn Erdman
Granted, I am probably not the only person going through this distress, but the absurdity of the situation makes my anguish worse. I do not put the blame on Covid-19 for that matter, quite the contrary. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t home office an important tool against the spread of the virus? Actually, such a practice is strongly encouraged… Well, just another baseness in an unfair world!