This review is for women who are pregnant during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. It will discuss tips on how to navigate through your pregnancy during this time.
I will review how to protect yourself from the virus by implementing the CDC guidelines, things you want to be planning for before your baby arrives, and share my personal experience as a pregnant woman who is also going through this pandemic.
In this previous review, I discussed how COVID-19 affects pregnant women, if it can be passed to your unborn baby, can you breastfeed if you are positive for the virus etc. So, if you want to know that information be sure to check out that review too.
First, let’s talk about steps you can take to prevent yourself from getting the virus. As a pregnant women you want to strictly follow the same guidelines that the CDC recommends for the general public to follow. They include:
- Social distancing
- Avoiding travel
- Washing hands
- Disinfecting surfaces and items
- Wearing a cloth mask, if you have to go out
- Staying home if you’re sick, avoiding sick people, or people who are not following the CDC’s guidelines
- Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
- Practice respiratory etiquette (cover cough or sneeze etc.)
Special Things you want to consider as a Pregnant Woman
Avoid going out as much as possible…keep it to essential trips only!
The virus spreads through respiratory droplets and the contact route (meaning you can infect yourself with your unclean hands by touching the eyes, nose, or mouth) so it’s very easy to contract.
- If you have to go out in public, keep a minimum of a 6 feet distance from other people.
- Wear a mask of some type when you have to go out.
- Wash your hands OFTEN (at least 20 seconds with soap and water or use hand sanitizer). Remember if in doubt….just wash you hands.
- Disinfect everything that came into contact with something while you were out (purse, cell phone, keys, and shoes).
- Tips for grocery shopping and prenatal visits….things that are essential
- Grocery shopping: consider having someone else do the grocery shopping and run the essential errands.
- NOT an option? Use pick-up or delivery services or shop online (if you get packages shipped to your house, immediately wash your hands after opening the packaging).
- What I do? I use Wal-Mart’s pick-up service. I order everything online, schedule my pick up date and time, arrive when it’s ready, open my trunk, they load it in, and sign for me. I only come into contact with one person. After I get home and put up the groceries, I immediately wash my hands. I also will shop online but most of our food can’t be purchased online (produces, meats, etc.)
- Prenatal visits: The CDC recommends that pregnant women continue receiving prenatal care. Most of these visits require an in-person visit, but some can be done via telehealth. Remember during your prenatal visits the OB provider is checking baby’s growth, heart rate, your urine for protein, glucose, and your blood pressure for signs and symptoms of preeclampsia.
- Call your OB office and see what they are doing during this outbreak and the options that are available to you. When you go to your visits keep a distance from people, wear a mask of some type, wash your hands often, don’t touch your face, eyes or mouth at any time, and disinfect items that you took to the visit (purse, cell phone etc.).
- What I do? At every visit I’m screened before I can enter. I wear a mask and so does all the staff. I keep a distance from people, and the office I go to makes this easy because certain chairs are taped off so you can’t sit in them, which helps create that proper distance. I perform hand hygiene several times (I bring my own hand sanitizer). Then when I come home, I disinfect things that came into contact with the office. Also, my next visit is via telehealth so I don’t have to go to the office. I was given a testing kit to check my own urine for glucose and protein and have been instructed to check my blood pressure (I have an automatic BP monitor) and weight before the scheduled visit.
- Avoid any type of herbal or medical treatments not recommended by your OB provider in prevention of the virus. Never ingest or do anything without speaking to your doctor first. There have been crazy things in the news that people have tried to prevent the virus and some people have actually died or caused severe harm to themselves.
- Call your OB office and see what they are doing during this outbreak and the options that are available to you. When you go to your visits keep a distance from people, wear a mask of some type, wash your hands often, don’t touch your face, eyes or mouth at any time, and disinfect items that you took to the visit (purse, cell phone etc.).
- Grocery shopping: consider having someone else do the grocery shopping and run the essential errands.
Things to be Planning before Your Baby Arrives
Start planning now for the birth of your baby (even if it is months away or you’re not even pregnant yet but hoping to be). Experts don’t know if this virus will decrease in the summer and come back this fall…so even if you are due in October, November, December you still want to be prepared:
- Baby showers and gender reveals won’t be your typical celebration. You might want to postpone them if you’re due later on. If you can’t postpone, get creative by doing a virtual one with family and friends and let them submit money online or ship gifts to you.
- Where do you want to deliver?
- Home birth? Research if this is for you (pros and cons), hire a mid-wife and doula, get supplies, etc.
- Hospital birth? Research the hospital you want to deliver at (many are canceling tours right now so you will have to call with your questions or ask your OB provider).
- Ask about their policies?
- Who can be in the room during the birth (one person….no one….does the doula count as the person or are they considered staff?) If you’re positive for COVID-19, what happens to the baby after birth?
- Completing pre-admission paperwork?
- Planning on an epidural? Some hospitals require you do a pain consult at about 30-32 weeks…ask how this will be done?
- Other questions to consider?
- Who will watch your other kids, if you have any (have a backup plan if the person who is supposed to watch your kids gets sick)?
- Pediatrician you will be selecting for your new baby
- Ask about their policies?
Get baby and post-partum supplies early! Retailers are in a crunch right now (shipping takes a while, it’s hard to find some things in the store like baby wipes, formula, basic pain relievers and antiseptics such as…witch hazel, pads, ibuprofen etc.).
- Determine your feeding plan: breastfeeding or formula feeding
- Breastfeeding: pump (all the supplies that goes with it), pads, have a backup plan in case breastfeeding doesn’t go as planned, cream for nipples, etc.
- Formula: buy some in advance along with bottles etc.
Maternity leave considerations: if delivering soon you may want to consider taking it early, if you can, so you can avoid being out in public right now during the pandemic. Also, think about your plan for when you return to work…will you be using daycare services? Some moms are having trouble finding daycare availability due to the pandemic.
Have a plan after birth for protecting your baby from potential infection: Normally, after you have a baby you’re social isolated for those first few weeks to months, but it could be longer due to the pandemic. Therefore, have a plan in place for yourself mentally and physically.
Keep stress low and look at the positive sides (way easier said than done…trust me I know). Personally, I’ve definitely had my moments about the “what-ifs”, but I know that stressing about this virus does absolutely nothing about the situation but it cause stress to me and my baby. Pregnancy in itself is stressful but adding a pandemic to the mix doesn’t help.
The most powerful thing you can do is stay informed, plan ahead as much as you can, and pray for the best.
You may be interested in: COVID-19 Review
References: