COVID-19 and Pregnancy
It all begins with an idea.
This is not what you had planned for your pregnancy. A global pandemic was not in the game plan while making your goals for 2020. While this virus has changed prenatal visits from in person to over the phone, our hearts are still open to you. Midwives and birthing parents are resilient and have been making the best of unfortunate circumstances. I recognize this is an uncertain time for pregnant people, my goal is to highlight resources that have clear and easy to digest evidence based information.
Current research shows that pregnant people are not at increased risk for contracting COVID-19. There is limited data at the time of writing this but so far the data shows pregnant people are not at an increased risk.
Reducing exposure is important to protect yourself and your community. Maintain social distancing as recommended by health officials.
Wash hands regularly, for 20 seconds with soapy water.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth and face with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Limit going to the store except for groceries, ideally once a week.
Symptoms to be aware of include:
Fever over 100.4 F
Cough
Shortness of breath
Diarrhea
(not all infected people will develop all symptoms)
There are currently no published cases of babies contracting COVID-19 through pregnancy or birth.
Breastfeeding is recommended and the virus has not been detected in breastmilk.
Recommended Resources
Evidence Based Birth shares information on COVID-19 for pregnant people including a free virtual childbirth education class.
Aviva Romm is a herbalist, MD and midwife who shares her knowledge on herbs and a commonsense approach to COVID-19.
This website was used to gather information for this post, the FAQ page is helpful.