MY TURN
WF LETTERS TO LUCY:
What I’ll Tell My Daughter
S ince my husband and I found
out we were pregnant with our
daughter Lucy in October 2019,
I started to write little notes to
her: things I hope to share with her one
day when she’s older. My letters to Lucy
started as a bonding process and a way to
document my pregnancy. As the pandemic
hit the United States in the spring, at the
beginning of my third trimester, the letters
shifted as documentation of the unusual
and chaotic world she was about to join.

My letters described wearing masks at
the grocery store and social distancing.

They are practices that I hope will
be entirely foreign to her. I’ve also
documented the hospital protocols that
I had to follow during my prenatal care
and how her birth was shaped by policies
associated with the pandemic. Yes, the
story of her birth also included what it
was like getting tested for COVID-19 and
wearing a mask during labor, but the larger
emphasis was on all of the amazing doctors
and nurses who worked so hard to safely
and joyfully welcome Lucy into this world.

With every visit we make to MedStar
Georgetown University Hospital for Lucy’s
wellness checkups, I remain in awe and
gratitude for all of the health-care providers
who are taking care of us.

My letters talk about what it was like
to introduce her to her grandparents
via FaceTime. Every day at dinnertime,
I FaceTime with my parents while Lucy
plays on the floor. While they’ve thankfully
been able to visit on occasion, these
nightly FaceTime sessions provide Lucy
with a regular connection to her Gigi
and Papa. They “play” peekaboo with her
and watch her play. They’re able to say
goodnight to her every day. Even though
it’s remote, it’s clear that she recognizes
them. She beams every time they appear.

My letters describe what it was like to
go back to work at Georgetown University
in a virtual environment, which means
that Lucy is usually no more than 2 feet
from my “office” (my laptop). They record
what it was like having her “sit in” on
staff meetings and how, on more than
BY DR. VANESSA R. CORCORAN
one occasion, I’ve had to deal with diaper
blowouts mid-meeting. But my notes also
recall funny moments when she’s babbled
along during work conversations and how
my office has “watched” Lucy grow up.

But the main theme that encapsulates
these letters is the outpouring of love and
kindness we’ve received. I never doubted
that Lucy would enter this world already
loved by so many people. That was evident
throughout my entire pregnancy. But as
it increasingly looked like it would just be
my husband and I caring for Lucy without
any additional help, friends and family
sent food, baby supplies, and anything
else they thought could be helpful for
raising a newborn in a pandemic. Each
time a package arrived, I was filled with
gratitude for people offering their virtual
support. Even if people couldn’t physically
be there for Lucy, their loving support was
profoundly evident.

Our beautiful baby girl is now 7 months
old and is blissfully unaware of what a
tumultuous year it has been. Her unbridled
joy provides daily joy, even when so much
of our future seems uncertain. When she’s
older, I cannot wait to share these letters
with her and remind her that even when
the world feels upside down and loved
ones are far away, she has always been
surrounded by love. n
Vanessa Corcoran is Lucy’s mom and is an
academic counselor and medieval historian at
Georgetown University.

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