Broadlawns Medical Center Prenatal Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic Written By: Amy Bingaman, MD P regnancy is a special time full of excitement to welcome a new addition into your family. However pregnancy is also a time of great change to your body, which requires extra care. This extra care, known as prenatal care, is the foundation of a healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. COVID-19 has made it more important than ever to start early in addressing both your physical and mental prenatal care. In a time of continued uncertainty, here are a few action steps you can take to help to ensure a healthy outcome for you and your baby. 1. Follow the recommended COVID-19 mitigation strategies. CDC data shows that people who are pregnant or recently pregnant are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 than those who are not. More than 125,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in pregnant Americans throughout the pandemic. Of those, more than 22,000 were hospitalized and 161 died. In August alone, 21 pregnant women died. To protect you and your baby from COVID-19, it is important that you wear a mask, wash your hands often, and avoid ill people. We recommend a COVID-19 vaccination, especially in pregnancy. There is currently no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine causes fertility problems, or that the vaccination is not safe or effective to take during pregnancy. COVID-19 can be particularly dangerous for unborn babies. The CDC found that COVID-19 increases the risk of a stillbirth. A JAMA study found a pregnant individual with COVID-19 is 22 times more likely to have a preterm birth, which can be detrimental to a baby’s development 2. Prioritize your mental health care. Pregnancy brings a mix of feelings, and not all
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