Listen • 3:48
Victoria Stephens feeds her three-month-old baby, Nathan. He sat on his mom’s lap and stared at the phone screen with his big brown eyes. He was content - at least for a few minutes.
“He’s an attention-hogger,” Stephens said. “We’re learning how to be independent so mom can get schoolwork done.
Stephens is a college student and a first-time mom. She found out she was pregnant early last year, around the same time the coronavirus was first confirmed in Lubbock in March.
She said her pregnancy was an emotional, anxious time, feelings amplified by the pandemic. Stephens stayed home and often felt lonely, but she said that distancing from the world brought her closer to her partner. They had deep conversations about how they would raise their son and what they wanted for his future.