Having a baby during the pandemic is tough on all parents, but Aria Mason-Folse faced even more challenges when she gave birth prematurely after experiencing symptoms of preeclampsia. The life-threatening pregnancy complication brought baby Amara to the world sooner than expected and she weighed just one-pound, eight-ounces.
The newborn was rushed to the NICU at Ochsner Baptist Medical Center in New Orleans and when mama Aria and dad Henri got to visit with her, she never saw their faces entirely because they were following COVID-19 guidelines and wearing face masks. When Aria mentioned that she was concerned their covered up faces could affect baby Amara’s development of social cues and non-verbal communication skills, a speech therapist had a solution - clear masks designed for people who work with deaf patients.
The parents say they noticed a difference with their daughter almost right away. "You can see her watching our mouths, especially when I was singing to her," Aria says. “Having the ability to connect with her this way has been its little ray of sunshine through all of this.”
Source: Good Morning America