PREGNANCY DURING CORONA

MARZOUK
25-10-2020

Lead-in: Coronavirus has affected every aspect of our lives, it even affected the time when
mothers want to be pregnant.

People during the coronavirus were worried about their safety and their families’ safety.
Pregnant women are more vulnerable. There are over 27000 pregnant women with coronavirus
in the USA according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pregnant women had
to be registered at a hospital to give birth, but the old ways of labor came in handy to some
women with Midwives being back in business. Sara Salem, who recently gave birth, expresses
her concerns about giving birth during the coronavirus.

Salem​: “Well, of course, I was really worried about giving birth during the Corona, as
most of the hospitals here didn't allow any visitors or someone to stay with you.
However, I had a backup plan to give birth at home.” (0.12)

The World Health Organization always encourages people to cancel planned events especially
in the case of non-essential events ​or when precautions cannot be implemented or
adequately communicated. Sarah had to go with this view to be safe from the virus.

Salem​: “I was worried about the baby catching the virus or even with me or my husband
that catching it and then transmitting it to our newborn baby or to our other children, to
the extent that we didn't allow any of our friends, or family members to visit us after the
labor. And we didn't have a baby shower to avoid any gatherings even before the
delivery just in case.” (0.22)

The findings show that 1 in 4 of all babies born to women with COVID-19, were admitted to a
neonatal unit, as claimed by the world health organization. This was not the case for Sara. She
was also fortunate to have her delivery at a hospital where they took the precautions seriously.

Salem​: “I had a rapid Corona test before my delivery. And the result was within an hour
or something. They frequently measured my temperature and by frequently I mean like
every two hours. And during my stay there, the hospital was clean. I mean, it was
Corona free. I was really lucky to have it was really lucky enough.” (0.24)

Midwives have been around for centuries, and historically, they provide pre- and
postnatal care​ to pregnant moms as well as performing births and offering breastfeeding
and nutritional support. They tend to focus on low-risk, low-tech births for moms-to-be
who want to try to avoid surgical intervention. ​Sara had a C-section and had to give birth at
a hospital.
Midwives are now growing back in popularity accounting for almost 10% of birth happening in
the US, as stated by Healthline some people prefer them over going to hospitals as they are
safer as they will deliver the baby at the home without risking catching the virus from other
patients at the hospital.

Salem​: “ I arranged for the midwife to give birth at home However, my conditions didn't
allow me to do so. I ended up giving in the hospital” (0.10)

The Egyptian Health Ministry in one of their publications advised women to delay pregnancy
during the pandemic, to ensure the safety of the mother and the baby. one of the reasons that
indicate the need to avoid this step is that the pregnant woman's immunity decreases
dramatically during pregnancy, which makes her more vulnerable to infection with the virus. not
only this, a fever, which is a symptom of the virus, may lead to birth defects in the fetus and may
even lead to death.

Nour Marzouk, A-U-C Radio.

Sources
https://www.who.int/news/item/01-09-2020-new-research-helps-to-increase-understandi
ng-of-the-impact-of-covid-19-for-pregnant-women-and-their-babies
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/special-populations/pregnan
cy-data-on-covid-19.html
https://www.healthline.com/health/midwives-growing-in-popularity-what-to-know#:~:text
=Benefits%20of%20midwives&text=Currently%2C%20CNMs%20attend%20only%20ab
out,births%20in%20the%20United%20States​.
https://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details/1992130