Women Due To Give Birth During Papal Visit Frustrated With Lack Of Information
By Kristen Johanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The city has not given much information about what to expect for the Pope's visit to Philadelphia, and for those who are expecting babies around the time of his visit, it has been frustrating.
Philadelphia resident Jessica Labenberg is due to give birth around the time of the Papal Visit.
"It makes me nervous, because as a first time mom, cause I already don't know what to expect very much once I go in there, so having something else that's unknown just makes it a little more nerve-wracking than it already is," Labenberg explained.
Dr. Sindhu Srinivas is the Director of Obstetrics at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
"I know that it's hard, especially as time is getting closer, that people are starting to get nervous.," Srinivas explained.
She says women should keep in touch with their doctors and hospitals, about what strategies they're developing to ensure safe deliveries. Dr. Srinivas adds that they are doing their best to organize a system.
"While it's hard to sit tight and wait, we are working on a plan, and we are working closely with the city so that the care of pregnant women is uninterrupted. We are actually working with the city to come up with a plan to get pregnant women through the barricades."
At a press conference this week, Mayor Nutter assured pregnant women that there is a plan for the Papal Visit.
"They will get to the hospital, I can assure you," Nutter said, but it's little comfort to Labenberg who has everything in order, except where to give birth.
"We have our room ready, we have our daycare picked out, so this really is the only thing left an unknown right now," she said.
