COVID-19 Information and Links for Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum
Updated 3/24/2020
FAQ for pregnancy, birth, and newborns:
- We are hearing reports that hospitals are limiting support people at births, screening support people before allowing them in, and possibly separating birthing parents who are symptomatic from newborns. There is also the potential for a lot of misinformation, or conflicting information. If a parent is full term, the best course of action is to call the L&D unit a parent will be delivering at and ask what is the current policy on doulas, support people, and visitors. Please do not encourage a parent to call unless the parent is full term and potentially needing to go to the hospital in the very near term. If a parent is anxious about their birth, their support, etc please address this anxiety versus the pursuit of more information that will change anyway. Strategies include validating their feelings, focusing on the things they can control, grounding and staying in the present, identifying activities, thoughts, beliefs that are calming and centering. The Maternal Coalition is trying to keep their website updated on hospital policies in the Puget Sound region- https://thematernalcoalition.org/covid19
- COVID-19 seems to infect adults more often than children, and symptoms in children are often unremarkable (think runny nose and mild cough). Data from thousands of coronavirus cases suggests that 80 percent of cases are mild.
- Is breastfeeding safe? The virus does not appear to be transmitted through breast milk, per the CDC. The CDC recommends that breastfeeding parents continue to do so, because breast milk provides protection against illness. Adults who are ill should take precautions to avoid spreading the virus to a breastfeeding child with careful hand hygiene and other preventative measures.
- Le Leche Leage- https://www.llli.org/coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR2ZecMu9h50AWcb9i6bPJVveFfKHNBrAqrTbJiJcIM7H1fbYX23Fj6uYLQ
- Updates on pregnant people and breastfeeding https://www.aappublications.org/news/2020/03/12/coronavirus031220
- ACOG recommendations for pregnancy, birth and postpartum https://m.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-and-Publications/Practice-Advisories/Practice-Advisory-Novel-Coronavirus2019?IsMobileSet=true ACOG is currently recommending separation of birthing parents from infants if COVID-19 positive. NOTE- World Health Organization is not.
Articles/ Websites that are parent friendly/social media friendly to share with parents about pregnancy and newborns:
- National Perinatal Association: easy to read/post infographics http://www.nationalperinatal.org/COVID-19
- https://www.mother.ly/news/coronavirus-pregnancy-breastfeeding-effects?fbclid=IwAR1IyRFSf8YlPkr2cDvKCPhFLqqjbFhjN4j5tVUG2As_xhgVmMArURRRoCI
- Pregnancy, Birth, and Caring for Your Baby with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 from the Washington State Department of Health
Articles:
Managing Anxiety and fear during the perinatal period
- Mindfulness and managing fear: https://thoughtcatalog.com/christa-rogers/2020/02/mindfulness-in-the-time-of-coronavirus/
- Postpartum Anxiety and What You Can Do: https://helenavissing.com/2020/03/02/postpartum-anxiety-coronavirus-and-what-you-can-do/
- Talking to kids about COVID-19 https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/
- Managing uncertainty https://afsp.org/taking-care-of-your-mental-health-in-the-face-of-uncertainty/
- How to cope https://advice.shinetext.com/articles/we-asked-experts-how-to-cope-with-your-coronavirus-anxiety/
- Black Women and Childbirth during COVID https://www.essence.com/feature/black-mamas-childbirth-covid-19-coronavirus/
- Guide to manage worry and anxiety https://www.psychologytools.com/assets/covid-19/guide_to_living_with_worry_and_anxiety_amidst_global_uncertainty_en-us.pdf
- NICU Families and COVID https://handtohold.org/nicu-ptsd-in-the-time-of-coronavirus/
Links for Managing Anxiety
- FACE COVID- short video on managing anxiety https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3e8_cRs7fKFxotbAiLnH51368RFzHNhIRiFXHQGOhySpIizzuXnklt4gc&v=BmvNCdpHUYM
- Guided Mindfulness Exercises- English And Spanish – Audio only https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/mindful-meditations
- Guided Mindfulness Exercises- Audio and Video (movement exercises) https://medschool.ucsd.edu/som/fmph/research/mindfulness/programs/mindfulness-programs/MBSR-programs/Pages/audio.aspx
General COVID info:
- Stay Home
- Treat mild symptoms at home. No need to rush to the emergency room at the first sign of a sniffle. Doctors say treating mild symptoms at home is the safest approach, since spending time in a crowded hospital or clinic may expose you, your child or others to illness. Because there’s currently no
- Tests for COVID-19 are performed at hospitals and clinics, but they’re being limited to people with severe symptoms or those who have traveled to a restricted area. Soon, tests should be more widely available, according to a March 4 CDC announcement. If symptoms progress, keep this hotline handy and call your health-care provider to ask about testing
- Know the symptoms: Right now, COVID-19 seems to be more common in males and less severe in young children, with symptoms that appear to worsen with age. Symptoms develop 2 to 14 days after exposure and often begin with a fever. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, seen in up to 98 percent of patients; dry cough, seen in up to 82 percent; and fatigue, seen in up to 44 percent. Other symptoms of COVID-19 are headache, sore throat, abdominal pain and diarrhea. In more severe cases, COVID-19 can progress to pneumonia, leading to severe shortness of breath and painful coughing. If you or your child experiences these symptoms, seek medical help quickly.