COVID-19 and pregnancy: What we know so far
Pregnant women across the United States are wondering how COVID-19 could affect them and their babies. They also want to know how health professionals are making sure they stay safe and healthy. To get some answers, Yahoo News spoke to Dr. Lance Bruck, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health at Jersey City Medical Center, in New Jersey. Here is what he told us:
“As of today, what we know about COVID-19 and pregnancy, unfortunately, is very little. We do not believe and will not have any special recommendations for women in pregnancy that are really any different than what the current CDC state and local authorities are telling everyone to do.”
Those recommendations are covering your cough, washing your hands and what Bruck says is the most important for everyone but especially moms-to-be: staying away from people. Even people who don’t show symptoms may be carriers of the coronavirus. “My recommendation really is social distancing,” Bruck says. And in particular, “if a family member is ill, you need to try to distance yourself as best as your home situation allows.”
Research is underway to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women, but so far there is no evidence suggesting that they are at higher risk of severe illness than the general population.
But what scientists do know is that pregnant women experience changes in their bodies that may increase their risk of some infections. They also know how other respiratory illnesses similar to COVID-19 have affected pregnant women in the past. “We do have information about flu that occurs every year and when there was SARS and MERS epidemics that pregnant women may be at increased risk. So clearly we would want for all of our pregnant women to adhere to the CDC guidelines that have been issued.”
Physicians and hospitals across the country have also put into effect new guidelines for the safety of all patients, visitors and their staff. These vary from hospital to hospital and are changing day to day.
When it comes to routine exams during pregnancy, women who are in their first or second trimesters and do not have any health issues are encouraged to do a telemedicine visit if possible. But Bruck described some checkups that must be done in person. “There are certain visits in pregnancy that women do need to attend to, for their glucose screening, during the third trimester of pregnancy, checking with their physician to monitor the blood pressure and fetal status is important. However, we are really kind of moving toward eliminating visits that are not critical.”
If a woman goes into labor, hospitals and clinics are limiting the number of people in the delivery room. At Jersey City Medical Center, where Bruck practices, maternity and labor and delivery units are allowing just one person to accompany the mom. Other hospital systems like the NewYork-Presbyterian are taking more strict measures and banning all visitors, including partners. Even though this rule is difficult for families and affects the experience of giving birth, doctors believe it is very important during this time. “The goal is to protect the patient that comes to the hospital. We also have to limit exposure to health care professionals. If we start to get health care professionals ill, it could have a dramatic impact on taking care of the community as a whole.”
But what if a mother has COVID-19? To date, the COVID-19 virus hasn’t been found in amniotic fluid or breast milk. Unlike the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus and cause birth defects, there is no evidence at this point that COVID-19 is transmitted to the fetus and the newborn. However, if a woman is diagnosed with coronavirus disease, most doctors are trying to minimize the amount of time that the newborn is exposed to the mother, particularly to respiratory secretions.
Unfortunately, this means breastfeeding, which is such an important part of keeping both the mom and the baby healthy after delivery, is being avoided at many hospitals. Instead, some doctors recommend that women express milk manually or using an electric pump. To make sure that the mother’s milk is not contaminated, women should clean their breasts before pumping milk, as well as wear a mask and have a nurse or other parent bottle-feed the baby.
Even though the current circumstances are not ideal, Bruck encourages all pregnant women and new mothers to stay positive. “Pregnancy is supposed to be a happy time … there really is a special connection between mom and fetus, even when in utero. It’s important to stay upbeat for both of you.”
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