tonight, pregnant in the pandemic. the worry we're all feeling, amplified. bringing life into the world in the very hospitals battling the disease. >> we're parachuting into what feels like a war zone. >> separated from partners. >> the doctor's kind of like hey, we're not sure if you're going to be able to get in. >> even separated from their babies.ikn unending nightmare, honestly. >> but ultimately a bond that cannot be broken by the virus. >> announcer: this is a special edition of "nightline." "delivering hope." he's just going to drop me off and i'm terrified. >> she's going to be just fine. she can do this. >>o our best. >> reporter: when emily shear found out she was pregnant with her second child -- >> day 6 of self-quarantine. >> reporter: -- she never

imagined how dangerous it could be. giving birth in the middle of a global pandemic in the worst hot zone in the country. >> how are you holding up under the circumstances? >> it's been a stressful pregnancy. you know, especially for new york city as the cases rise and our due date nears, it's been pretty nerve-wracking. >> reporter: mflz of expecting parents are facing that added risk and emotional turmoil. >> we're really in unchartered territory, and there's so much we don't know about covid-19, especially its effects on pregnant women, newborns, and the fetus. >> reporter: rare but extreme cases of covid-19 impacting mothers and babies, making headlines. in vancouver, washington this woman gave birth in a coma while battling the virus. >> we love you, angela. [ applause ] >> reporter: only meeting her daughter two weeks later. tearful reunions like this one in new york sometimes playing out on sidewalks in front of hospitals. for so many the crisis is

creating fear and confusion. tonight, four families bring us inside their journeys to parenthood in this unprecedented time. taking us into the delivery room, through those painful separations and heartwarming reunions. >> this is your daddy. >> hey, zoe. hey, sweet girl. >> everything that you want to hear when you can't hold your baby is at least they can hear your voice. >> this is our baby girl-to-be's bedroom. >> reporter: we started following emily, husband billy and their daughter abigail a month ago at the height of the pandemic. >> hello to -- >> baby. >> baby sister. >> reporter: right after her hospital and several others in new york city issued a drastic decision. in order to protect patients and staff, no family, no spouse allowed in labor and delivery. >> what was it like hearing the news that you're going to have to basically go it alone?

>> it was devastating hearing i'd have to do this by myself. it's unimaginable. unimaginable to me. >> you're missing out on something, dad. what was that like to realize? >> it's really upsetting because i'm a man that likes to take care of his ladies. i pride myself in taking care of my lady. and i feel like i'm kind of letting them down by not being able to be there. >> what's your biggest fear? >> my biggest fear is that in the biggest medical moment of my life something goes sideways and i either can't make the decision, someone makes it for me and billy's not there to be part of it. and i don't understand how he could possibly miss out on this moment in our child's life. >> how are you >> it is my due date. i feel good. >> reporter: carly and steven defilippo also felt blindsided after moving from california to new york to have their first child the policy change coming just days before their baby was due. >> it was scary. the idea of him missing that and

meeting his kid for the first time on the streets of manhattan. like i want them to be together. i want us all to be together. >> it sucks. but then you start to understand why why those restrictions were put in place. >> reporter: karli miraculously found a birthing center that could accept her. >> we're just happy there was an alternative option for us. >> we did not have a baby shower unfortunately because of the pandemic. >> reporter: janelle drysdale miller and her husband warner are having trouble finding another option. >> we tried several times. i have called the brooklyn mid-wives. awful them have said we're booked so far. >> reporter: janelle is well aware of the reality that black women already face. higher complication rates and maternal mortality, up to three times higher than white women according to the cdc. >> that's the thing that was the number one concern. and now it's not. now it's the pandemic, this virus. >> what's your biggest fear?

>> going through all of this and looking back on it and seeing how terrified or fearful i was that i didn't get the chance to really enjoy my life, the birth of my child. was you only get one first child. >> reporter: all janelle, karli, and emily can do now is hope. hope for change in policy. hope that no one gets sick. hope that it all works out. >> this is a scary time to be walking into a hospital in need. >> i use the metaphor that we're parachuting into what feels like a war zone. you have this tiny fragile thing, and getting out. the whole goal like billy said is just to get home. >> reporter: it wouldn't take long for that philosophy to become reality. >> it is march 27th and i'm having a contraction. that's good timing. >> it's go time. we are headed to the hospital. >> reporter: he's not coming up with me. he's going to drop me off. and i'm terrified.

>> she's going to be just fine. >> walking out the door i think i was pretty upset. it definitely was a scary feeling going into it. >> i just dropped my wife emily off. i was not allowed to bring her up to the fourth floor, which is the rule again because i guess it's getting worse. >> he's parking the car right now. just wanted to capture the moment. billy, how are you doing? >> i'm okay. it's kind of crazy to be on face-time, on face-time. >> she locked eyes with me while she was pushing those last few pushes. through the screen. and then all of a sudden the doctor says "here we go." and plopped the baby right on her. and i just screamed, "yeah!" i was just happy. i knew once she was out, i knew she was healthy and my wife was okay. and that's all that mattered to me. >> can i get a little peek? >> yeah. of course. this is sarah. >> hi, sarah. oh, look at that face.

>> reporter: because hospitals are trying to minimize the risk of exposure, emily is discharged in the middle of the night. >> how was the pickup? >> the security guard looks at me, hands me a bottle of sanitizer, gives me a couple pumps and says pick up your kid. so i picked her up and with my mask on holding her right in front of me. i was overjoyed. >> it's 2:00 in the morning. it felt like we were escaping from the hospital by cloak of night. >> reporter: what the reunited family didn't know is billy missed out by just a matter of hours. new york governor andrew cuomo organized ordering hospitals to allow one parent in delivery. >> we know if a laboring woman has support in there things go better. they go better psychologically, emoty,ndn some ws medically. >> o.b. aut ter >> i think that we're still apt

to stick with the birthing center. >> reporter: except the days keep passing and the baby isn't coming. >> another day another dog walk. this is a steep curb. >> reporter: at 11 days overdue and with her blood pressure elevated karli has no choice. she has to be induced at the hospital. >> so we just got started on t pitocin. >> the precautions were definitely what we expected. full ppe. he was in head to toe like gown. they let me kind of intermittently wear a mask because as you can imagine laboring with an n95 is not really possible. [ groaning ] the most exciting thing was right at 7:00 p.m. they did the cheer for all the health workers and the shift change. and i was pushing him out like while the cheer was happening. >> what do you think, daddy?

>> she's beautiful. >> reporter: steven got to witness his son joaquin's birth but had to leave just a few hours later. the pandemic forcing hospitals to limit exposure. steven can't come back until mom and baby are discharged, two days from now. janelle and warner's experience was similar. >> around 1:20 in the morning -- >> the dams broke. >> yes. >> and we're also having a baby. >> they have to now test me f cohe a room. during the imani. are you wearing a mask this entire time? >> yeah. during labor i had the mask on. like when i was pushing i had the mask on. for the most part i had the mask on. when they turned her to me, her eyes were popping out of her head. she was shocked. i was shocked. >> i was shocked. ♪ ♪ someone like you

broadway star, lullabies come th t it the coue hong imani's birth will spirits. >> welcome to brooklyn. >> we've had, you know, friends that have had family members or other friends of theirs die from this virus or at least be hospitalized. and i know i've gotten texts and calls from people saying that, you know, thank you for sending me this because this has really been a breath of fresh air. >> it's okay. >> reporter: coming up, when newborn intensive care goes on lockdown. >> it's okay. oh. >> reporter: one couple's story of faith and grace. the incredible moment of reunification and homecoming. kee from the risk of hiv. from the makers of truvada, there's another prep option: descovy for prep. a once-daily prescription medicine that helps lower the chances of getting hiv through sex. it's not for everyone. descovy for prep has not been studied

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girls. >> i don't feel like i truly have kids yet. which is really hard. >> that's okay. it's okay. [ crying ] i was just crying too, girlfriend. >> reporter: the atlanta couple have been separated from their premature babies for weeks. the sad ripple effects of covid-19. >> we just finished face-timing the girls. how do you feel, babe? >> i hate saying good-bye. they're so cute. >> reporter: gerald and kylie have been married for three years. he's a pastor. she's an after-school director. children were always in the plan. >> be careful what you pray for, right? we did not know that praying for twins meant a complicated pregnancy. nor did we know that we'd give birth to twins in the middle of the coronavirus. >> reporter: in mid march gerald returned from a work trip. >> i started not feeling well, having body aches and chills and a headache. and a low-grade fever. >> reporter: he got tested for covid-19. but results would take days. kylie had to take the test too.

but at the hospital the doctor had news. >> as soon as he checked me out he said, well, the babies are coming in an hour or two. i was 33 and four days. and with twins every single day counts. >> and so i'm on speaker with her while all this is happening. and i immediately like i'm coming right now. and the doctor's kind of like hey, we're not sure if you're going to be able to get in. i was like, i don't care, i'm coming. >> reporter: but his test results weren't back yet, barring him from even entering the hospital. kylie had to have an emergency c section under anesthesia. >> our girls came into the world and neither of their parents were able to see them or hold them or be with them. >> reporter: the girls were taken to the nicu, the neonatal intensive care unit. >> yeah, waking up without the babies that i had carried for that 7 1/2 months, it feels like an unending nightmare, honestly. >> reporter: gerald and kylie could only see them two days later after their covid tests came back negative. they named the girls wesley grace and zoe faith.

but just days later as the outbreak spread intensive care units nationwide started going into lockdown including the nicu caring for wesley and zoe. that meant no visitors at all. >> i cried on the nurse's shoulder. she had -- she didn't have a mask on. she didn't have gloves. she didn't care. she let me cry on her shoulder. and just reassured us that they would be cared for and loving on the girls as much as we would want to if we could go visit them too. >> wesley is finally awake. >> reporter: that's when the face-time started. the nicu nurses calling gerald and kylie at least two or three times a day. >> you don't like being woken up from your naps, huh? >> reporter: then days turned into weeks. >> the nurses, i mean, whether they're just saying this to reassure a postpartum mom or ea voices.he nurses say that which is everything that you want to hear when you can't hold your babies.

but at least they recognize our voice. so i'm really grateful for that and for the nurses. >> reporter: that bittersweet feeling came to an end easter weekend. >> that's the best phone call i've ever had. >> starting with when do we get the girls? >> sunday. easter sunday. >> reporter: the nicu lockdown lifting, creating this moment of pure parental joy. >> i'm really nervous. can i touch her? >> you can touch her. it's your child. >> hi, baby. hey, sweetheart. >> oh, my goodness. she's a full-grown adult. hi, wesley. >> hey, wesley. hey, sweet girl. >> it's day two of us getting to

see our girls. kylie just finished feeding wesley. >> oh, my goodness. i never want to leave. >> well, we have like ten minutes. so. >> don't make me move for the next ten minutes. >> reporter: the news got even better just a few days later. >> after a little over a month in the nicu we're about to go get kylie and the girls. they're going home today. let's go. are you ready to go? >> yes. >> wesley, what do you think about going home, baby girl? thank you. thank you all so much. >> on the way home.

>> ah! she's not happy. why are you driving so slow? >> because our girls are in the back seat, coming home. girls, we're home. what do you think about it? >> part of the only reason that we're telling our story, this is hard for our family, but there are nurses and doctors and hospital workers who are literally risking their own lives to take care of our family. more than anything we're just so grateful for them and for the way that they've cared for us. t. dust mite droppings! eeeeeww! dead skin cells! gross! so now, i grab my swiffer sweeper and heavy-duty dusters. duster extends to three feet to get all that gross stuff gotcha! and for that nasty dust on my floors, my sweeper's on it. the textured cloths grab and hold dirt and hair

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♪ sarah, say hi. >> reporter: tonight, final thoughts from our families. gratitude to the hospital teams that delivered so much hope into this new world. >> thank you for continuing to put yourself in the line of fire every single day. >> from the doctors to the nurses to those who scrub the floors. >> thank you. thank you. thank you. you are appreciated. >> every 7:00 p.m. since he's been born we've been pulling out

the pots and pans and hooting and hollering. >> whoo! >> we piche thapprecte s fo all safe. >> for the last 12 weeks she's been reporting on the pandemic and now as doors reopen across america diane sawyer searching for answers. who are we now? what have we learned about ourselves? what comes next? our new reality. tomorrow 9:00, 8:00 central on abc. ♪ pa-da-pa, pa-da-pa, pa-da-pa ♪ pa-da-pa, pa-da-pa, pa-da-pa ♪ jimmy kimmel live >> this is ridiculous. from his house! >> jimmy: hi there. i'm jimmy kimmel. and welcome to the longest and worst episode of mtv's "cribs" ever.

there's nothing fun to see in this house. including the owner. you know, we don't have a vaccine yet and we might not for a very long time, but there is still plenty of innovation happening in the united states of america. there's some big news from the world of breakfast. ihop has announced a limited edition pancake cereal called panflakes. these are little maple syrup-flavored pancake-ettes you can pour in a bowl and eat with milk. the promise is this. if the virus doesn't kill you, we will. so finally, we can have pancakes for breakfast. who says america isn't leading the way anymore? i have a feeling they're going to be very popular. in fact, in washington, d.c. panflakes became the first breakfast cereal ever to be awarded the presidential medal of freedom. this was not a great day for president honeycombover. his cookies were in a real crisp today as a new new whistle-blower, dr. rick bright, harshly criticized the white house respo