Did you know that due dates are still abbreviated in medical charts and prenatal records as EDC?

EDC stands for estimated date of confinement.

Estimated date of confinement is an old term that dates back to when new mothers were expected to be confined to their home caring for their baby and recovering for 12 weeks.

Although this type of recovery period is recommended, many birthers do not follow this plan of care and are out and about mere weeks (or even days) after the birth of their child.

Enter a global pandemic and quarantine.

Suddenly new parents were faced with recovering solely at home and with very limited in person interaction with people outside of their immediate family.

For a generation of individuals who are not used to being confined during their matrescence , this was quite a pivot from the social norm of “snapping back” and quickly getting back to life as usual.

Pros and Cons

Although this change wasn’t something people chose for their recovery period there are some positives that one may pull out of such a change:

Pros:

1. Fewer visitors and not having to entertain while trying to navigate all the new challenges that come with recovery from childbirth and life at home with a newborn

2. Fewer expectations that the birthing person should be out and about shortly after the birth of their child

3. Less social pressure for their bodies to look “back to normal” due to the limited social interaction and comments about body shape and size from individuals that come in contact with the new parent

4. Partners working from home: With many individuals suddenly working from home, some new parents had their partners home which they wouldn’t normally have had in the past

Cons:

1. Lack of education before birth: First time parents were facing childbirth and parenting without in-person hands-on classes.

2. Lack of support post birth: Travel restrictions, layoffs and fear of disease kept many new parents isolated from their regular support systems.

3. Isolation during this period was incredibly difficult, especially for new parents who gain energy from in person interactions with others.

4. Lack of childcare created a difficult challenge for parents with a toddler at home. Navigating a life with a toddler and baby when the toddler is used to the structure and social interaction of play school, Mother’s Day out of daycare presented a new and difficult challenge for new parents.

5. Zoom Calls: Attempting to parent a newborn in a home while keeping the baby quiet so the other parent can participate in a zoom call or conference call is something that more parents than ever were having to navigate last year.

In conclusion, 2020 brought many unique challenges especially to new parents. Every family is different but generally speaking there was more recovering done at home than in years past; therefore, bringing back the postpartum confinement tradition of days past.