40 weeks pregnant near the start of lockdown, I and many others were given conflicting information about whether we were at risk. In the uncertainty, it made sense to hide and protect ourselves. Being an older mother at this time I was encouraged to go for induction, which I declined. Instead I opted for extra monitoring and went into hospital every day to be monitored. I watched the environment change day by day as figures rose. The cafe was closed, chairs were removed, and my husband was no longer allowed in with me to hear our baby's heartbeat.

Like thousands of others I shielded at home; hiding behind closed doors, peeking out through net curtains, watching an uncertain world go by. I was shrouded in a protective veil within my domestic environment. But the veil was still penetrable and I still felt vulnerable, unsure of what laid ahead. I was probably one of the lucky ones, but we were the silent maternal; pregnant and poised to be mothers in the midst of a global pandemic.