Carysa Mattlin, assistant professor in Mary Inez Grindle School of Nursing, works as a labor and delivery nurse at an Atlanta area hospital. She never knows what she’s going to walk into when she goes to work.
“These women may have COVID-19 and be asymptomatic, as may their spouses. We cannot maintain a 6-foot distance from them. In fact, it is our job to come into direct physical contact with these women multiple times throughout our shift. We assess their progress, coach them through delivery, hold their hands, greet their new babies — none of this has changed.”
“Pregnancy is one of the most exciting times in a woman’s life, but it can also be very scary,” Mattlin says. “All of that is compounded for our population right now with the virus. Everyone is on edge.”
Through these trying days, Mattlin’s resolve is steadfast: “We have to care for them.”