{"id":71067,"date":"2020-09-07T12:40:38","date_gmt":"2020-09-07T18:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/?p=69514"},"modified":"2022-02-09T15:23:43","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T21:23:43","slug":"can-i-safely-give-birth-if-i-have-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/healthy-pregnancy\/labor-and-birth\/can-i-safely-give-birth-if-i-have-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I Give Birth Safely if I have Coronavirus?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hospitals and maternity wards have COVID-19 protocols in place to protect you and your newborn. It\u2019s important that you make any and all healthcare decisions with your doctor, including when you have coronavirus and it’s time to give birth to your baby.<\/p>\n
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is helping healthcare facilities that provide obstetric care, labor and delivery, recovery and inpatient postpartum care for pregnant patients with confirmed coronavirus or suspected of having the virus prepare for your labor and delivery. Here’s what you need to know:<\/p>\n
According to a few reports, some newborns have tested positive for COVID-19. But that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they picked it up from their mothers in the womb. The most common way to get COVID-19 is through respiratory droplets that a sick person coughs or sneezes. Experts believe it\u2019s more likely that infected babies picked it up through droplets after birth from their mother or a caregiver.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no evidence that women with COVID-19 shouldn\u2019t deliver vaginally. But delivery might be different from what you expected.<\/p>\n
One group of experts suggests that if the mother has COVID-19, it might be helpful to leave the vernix — a white, waxy coating on newborns\u2019 skin — on for 24 hours after birth. The coating contains antimicrobial substances that could protect against infection.<\/p>\n
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that babies born to women who have the coronavirus be isolated and monitored for symptoms.<\/p>\n
According to the CDC, the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly by close contact with an infected person through respiratory droplets. Whether a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can transmit the virus that causes COVID-19 to her fetus by other routes of vertical transmission (before, during, or after delivery) is still unknown.<\/p>\n
However, in limited recent case series of infants born to mothers with COVID-19, none of the infants have tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. Additionally, the virus was not detected in samples of amniotic fluid or breast milk.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no evidence that the virus itself can lead to birth defects, miscarriage, or any other problems. But a fever in early pregnancy, from COVID-19 or any other cause, can raise the chances of birth defects. And severe lung illnesses late in your pregnancy can make you more likely to deliver your baby prematurely. Some babies born to women who had coronavirus were born preterm. But it\u2019s not clear whether the virus was to blame.<\/p>\n
Because it is unknown if a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can transmit the virus to her baby before, during or after delivery, the hospital will likely take extra precautions to avoid any potential complications. These may include<\/p>\n
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