COVID-19

You asked and our amazing medical experts have taken the time from their busy schedules to provide recordings of their answers.   

The following questions are answered by Barbara Toppinn, MD – OB/GYN in Stillwater, MN

1. Is it safe to continue trying to conceive during this time? Click here for answer.

2. For pregnant women who have had a previous stillbirth or other pregnancy loss and feel very anxious between appointments when they are able to hear the baby’s heartbeat.  Many appointments have been changed to telephone visits only, which doesn’t allow them to hear the baby’s heartbeat and calm their anxiety for a short while.  What recommendations do you have for balancing the COVID-19 recommendations with the anxiety of a pregnancy after a previous loss?   Also – what recommendations do you have for ways to decrease the anxiety between appointments when the heartbeat is assessed?   Click here for answer

3. What changes are you implementing in your practice to protect pregnant women coming to the office?  Click here for answer.

The following questions are provided by Heather Florescue, MD – OB/GYN in Rochester, NY – Click here for answers

1. How can pregnant women protect themselves from being exposed to COVID-19 when they are attending prenatal appointments, ultrasounds, etc that occur within a hospital?
2. How should pregnant women decide when to go to the hospital if they have concerns about fetal movement or physical symptoms they are having?  When is it more dangerous to stay home or go in?

3. Are there ‘compassionate exemptions’ or other options that would apply to families who are experiencing a stillbirth or neonatal death in the hospital right now to balance the time and visitor restrictions with their grief needs?  What suggestions would you offer?

The following questions are provided by Sarah Holdt Somer, MD – OB/GYN in Sarasota, FL – Click here for answers 

1. If a mother is infected with COVID-19 while pregnant, what are the effects on the baby at different stages of development?  Is there a trimester that is more dangerous than the others? 
2. Many women are changing their birth plan to deliver at home or a birth center away from the hospital due to fear of being exposed to COVID-19 while in the hospital, or not wanting to deliver without her chosen support team beside her.  How do you help women make these decisions and balance the risks and benefits?  

3. Would a pregnant woman have the same symptoms of COVID-19 as a non-pregnant person?  Or are there different symptoms to watch for?

4. If a woman has COVID-19 or is suspected of having COVID-19 at delivery, what are the factors that determine if she should have a c/section or vaginal delivery?  

5. Should a woman have direct contact with her newborn after delivery for skin to skin contact, breastfeeding, etc if she has COVID-19?  What about if she is suspected of having it?  Or has been exposed but has no symptoms?   Or has not been exposed to her knowledge?   Why do the WHO and the CDC have different recommendations on this point?