Photo from OITNB’s Danielle Brooks pregnancy web series
This Summer, a 5-month pregnant Louisiana woman died from coronavirus and was miraculously survived by her premature baby doctors delivered via emergency c-section while they simultaneouly performed CPR on the mom in their failed attempt to save her life.
Following Allie Guidry‘s death at Women’s Hospital in Batoln Rouge in June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that pregnant women with COVID-19 could be at a higher risk of more severe symptoms.
So not only do you have to undergo the stress of pregnancy, labor, delivery and caring for a newborn, but the road to these latter hardships during a pandemic start during pregnancy.
The CDC recently conducted a study that notes pregnant women with COVID-19 are more likely to be hospitalized and require higher levels of care than women who are not pregnant.
To minimize exposure to the virus, doctors recommend steering clear of large crowds and avoid going out in public when possible. The self-isolation is especially important during the last two weeks of pregnancy, physicians say.
To cap this all off, if the mom has a pre-existing underlying health condition, she could have an even tougher challenge fighting off the coronavirus if she contracts COVID-19.
“The thing I have seen most commonly would be obesity, hypertension, and diabetes,” Dr. Marshall St. Amant said, a physician at Woman’s Hospital.
Another contributing factor to consider is the strength of the immune system.
“Cell-mediated immunity is when you make antibodies against something, and that’s something that goes along with pregnancy. So, we have known for years that women have increase rates of viral infections during pregnancy,” Dr. Marshall St. Amant said.
Here is an abbreviated checklist of precautions courtesy of the CDC:
For the full list of recommendations and guidelines for pregnant women amid the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.