CLEVELAND — As part of an ongoing series entitled "How it Feels," Cleveland Magazine has been chronicling people and how they're adapting to the coronavirus pandemic. Among those featured is 3News' own Sara Shookman, who shared her experience as an expectant mother during this unprecedented time.
Shookman and her husband Angelo first announced they were expecting last November. Unbeknownst to them, in just months, their lives would change forever, and in more ways than just a new addition to the family.
In the interview with Cleveland Magazine's Aly Fogel, Shookman details the vast changes that have occurred since the onset of the pandemic, beginning with her move to working from home in March. Admittedly, as a veteran journalist, her initial reaction was to not miss out on the opportunity to deliver necessary and vital content to the 3News viewers.
"I thought, 'Wait a second, this is a huge story. I’m not going home. I need to be a part of this.' Knowing that I’m going to be out on maternity leave, I have my own neuroses about being gone and being out of that part of my life, which means so much to me," she explains in the article.
However, with the help of technology (which many of us didn't know was possible) Shookman was able to contribute as she normally would without having to choose between her career and the safety of her unborn child.
"I was able to do my job in the way that I wanted to be doing it and also protecting my baby and not have to choose between those two things," she told the publication.
While this isn't the pregnancy she envisioned, Sara and Angelo are making the best of the situation with the support of their loved ones and positive attitudes.The pair is also leveraging technology to limit the pandemic's impact on their parenting experience.
"We ordered our infant CPR kit on the American Heart Association website, and we taught ourselves at home since our class got canceled," she explained. "The hospital experience is going to be different. We're going to make the best of it."
All of us here at 3News are wishing Sara and Angelo a safe and smooth delivery of healthy and happy bundle of joy!
To read the full article in Cleveland Magazine, click here.
More on 3News' Sara Shookman:
RELATED: Sara Shookman, 3News Anchor