How Safe Are Pregnant Women During A Pandemic?

COVID-19 has added to the stress of mothers-to-be and understandably so. Pregnancy ought to be a happy time for women but unfortunately, it is giving them anxiety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified pregnant women as a vulnerable population. If infected, they are more likely to be hospitalised and require ventilation. As a result, their risk of pre-term birth goes up, reported The Conversation.

In other words, the pandemic has dramatically changed the pregnancy experience.

Stress

According to an international study, mothers are worried about catching the virus, transmitting it to their newborn and keeping their child safe during infancy.

Although the long-term influence of the virus on the developing child is not yet known, the effects of stress on the mother-to-be is an area of concern. Chronic stress, or toxic stress, in pregnant women has been linked to gestational diabetes, impaired fetal development, low birth weight, and high blood pressure.

At birth in the hospital

In the current scenario, walking around in the hospital (mostly recommended) is not allowed once a woman has delivered. Only one person is allowed to support the new mother. If either parent tests positive for COVID-19 during hospital admission, they fear separation from the baby. These things often add even more stress., the report added.

Back home

There is still risk once the newborn and the parents come back home. There is the risk and fear of the infant catching the disease from an infected parent. Because of their immature respiratory and immune systems, they are at increased risk of severe illness compared to older children.

It is advisable for parents of infants to socially isolate, the report said.