A new father revealed he watched the the birth of his first baby on Zoom after hospitals banned spouses from being in delivery rooms due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Marty Gandelman, 34, from New Jersey, was sitting on a sofa watching on his laptop screen as his wife, Stephanie, also 34, who fell pregnant on her fourth round of IVF, delivered their son Jake, now three weeks, at Mount Sinai Hospital, Manhattan, New York.
Speaking to Metro, Stephanie, who was induced on March 27, said: ‘He was more upset than I was to be honest because Jake is our first child together and he was sad that he could not be there to see his son born.’
She added: ‘When I was in labor I just thought of the camera as Marty, rather than a camera. It didn’t really change anything for me and it was comforting to know he was there.’
Marty Gandelman, 34, from New Jersey, has revealed how he watched the birth of his son Jake, now three weeks, on Zoom, after social distancing rules prevented him from being in the delivery room. Pictured, wife Stephanie, 34, giving birth
The proud father (pictured) said being able to watch the birth at home made him feel like he was in the room with his wife and newborn son
While Marty admits he was upset at first, he soon felt reassured after seeing the number of doctors who were in the room with his wife on Zoom.
‘Not being there to hug and kiss Jake right away was tough, of course,’ he said.
‘When I saw that mom and baby were both OK I was over the moon and to be honest, being able to watch did make it feel like I was in the room with them.’
The couple had been trying for a baby for three years when Steph fell pregnant in July 2019 – following a fourth round of IVF.
Devastatingly, she had previously suffered three miscarriages within the first week of gestation, and with both of them suffering from fertility issues, the chance of conceiving naturally was unlikely.
However, they managed to conceive a child using fertility treatment, and were overjoyed at the prospect of welcoming a child together.
Then, the coronavirus pandemic hit the world just two weeks before Stephanie was due to deliver her first baby in New York – which quickly became the global epicenter for the COVID-19 outbreak.
Marty said he was nervous about not being there for his wife, until he saw the amount of doctors she was with in the delivery room
The midwives said Jake was ‘perfect’ when he was born. Pictured, being placed in mother Stephanie’s arms
Midwives booked in her labor for March 27 – a week before her initial due date of April 3.
However, just four days before, the hospital banned all partners from being present in the delivery room in a bid to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
The new parents explained that they received an email from the hospital saying that they could set up a virtual delivery that would allow Marty to have a part in the birth, while still following social distancing rules, and they jumped at the opportunity for him to be present – from the safety of his own home.
And thankfully, it wasn’t long before he got the chance to meet his child in person.
Marty picked up his son Jake, who weighed 7lb 5oz, and wife, Stephanie, from the hospital the day after he was born.
‘When I finally met Jake it was such a great feeling,’ said Marty. ‘I gave him and kiss and a cuddle and then drove home to isolate away from everything.’
New dad Marty’s face lit up when he was informed his wife had just given birth to a baby boy