“The first kiss Pedro receives from his mum is a masked kiss”, after being born in Hospital da Luz Lisboa maternity, in June, as stated in the reportage “Pandemic Heirs” (Herdeiros da Pandemia), broadcasted on RTP1 channel, last July 16. The goal of the reporters was to explain how covid-19 changed radically the way children are born and grow, and Pedro’s story is one of several cases shown. Between March and July, over a thousand babies were born at Hospital da Luz Lisboa , more 17% than in the corresponding period in 2019. One of the factors that has weighed on the choice of the hospital by parents is the possibility of the presence of the father of the child, which was not always the case in other hospitals. To this end, the father must take a covid-19 test and is only allowed to leave the hospital, when the mother is released. “As the regulations by Direção Geral da Saúde were issued, we complied and adapted ourselves to the circumstances”, explains Paula Arteaga , the director of Obstetrics and Delivery Unit from Hospital da Luz Lisboa, who anticipates a peak in births by the end of the year: “My colleagues and I expect many deliveries from October on. So, there will be many babies arising from confinement”. RTP show Linha da Frente da, “Herdeiros da Pandemia”
