Why Pregnant Women during COVID-19 needs extra care?

May 22, 2020bloggynaecology-blog

Pregnancy is already a crucial period for women and pregnant women have to be extra cautious these days when the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak is on the rise. During pregnancy, women are susceptible to contagious diseases or harmful conditions. Hence, they need to take extra care of their health during the COVID-19 trauma.

Just in case a pregnant woman contracts the virus and develops COVID-19 pneumonia, they need to be monitored effectively to control their condition through CT scans. It directly increases the exposure to radiation to the unborn child too. Hence research studies warn pregnant women to take necessary precautions to avoid COVID-19 contraction.

Here are some precautions that pregnant women can take during the COVID-19 outbreak.

• Pregnant women/ newborn babies are at risk as far as COVID-19 infection is considered. Thus the primary focus should be on prevention and control of the infection.
• Pregnant women should focus on screening, health counseling, and regular follow-ups with the doctor.
• While visiting the doctor, make sure you use protective clothing.
• If newborns are suspected/confirmed for COVID -19 infection they should be isolated for a minimum of 14 days post-birth and breastfeeding should be avoided in such cases.
• If the babies born to infected COVID-19 mothers are detected, they shouldn’t come in close contact with the mother.

Common precautions for pregnant women stated by WHO during COVID-19 outbreak

• Do not come in close contact with those who are suffering from severe respiratory infections.
• Avoid close contact with a dead farm, live, or wild animals.
• Use to avoid touching eyes, mouth, or nose and avoid touching spoiled animal stuff or sick animals.
• Eliminate undercooked or raw animal products and take necessary precautions while handling raw milk or meat.
• Maintain social distance and complete hygiene and speak to your doctor even if you have mild symptoms. For example, mild fevers can be managed quickly so that they do not result in stress to your fetus.
• During the first trimester if you experience prolonged fevers right during the stage when the organs of your baby are still forming then there are possibilities of fetal development being affected. It can also result in miscarriages or birth defects.
• Make sure you cover your face with masks to avoid coughs and sneezes from others or an infected person.

Safety precautions during COVID-19 also include taking care of nutrition

Nutrition plays an important role in pregnancy and the diet of a pregnant woman should be given utmost priority

• Make sure you include fresh fruits and vegetables whichever available or you like in your regular diet.
• Consume roti, chapatti, and rice in your daily meal.
• Recommended taking milk as well as other milk-related products like curd, cheese that forms the integral part of a diet in pregnancy.
• Other food items rich in protein like chicken, egg, pulses, soya bean, fish are recommended for pregnant women.
• You can also include some dry fruits in your meal like walnut, almonds, etc

Hygiene
The most important thing apart from nutrition is strictly staying at home. Stay at home as much as possible and maintain social distancing and self-hygiene. When it comes to self-hygiene hand hygiene is very important so keep washing hands using soap & water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer. Do not touch your face constantly at this crucial hour of COVID-19.

Respiratory Hygiene
This refers to coughing into an elbow instead of the palm. The best thing you can do is to use a tissue and dispose of immediately after use. Also, use lukewarm water along with salt to gurgle one to two times a day.

Other Important Factors

If you are suffering from Gestational diabetes (GDM) then make sure you check your blood glucose levels and blood pressure 3 times a day and call your doctor for consultation if required.

You can take some natural immunity boosters on a regular basis like honey, citrus fruits, haldi (turmeric) and ginger etc.

In case you are in your 1st trimester or 3rd trimester, you need to get some scans, vaccines and diagnostic tests done in an alternative month or week so make sure you take a prior appointment with your doctor and arrange for transport facility to reach the clinic.

Manage anxiety

During pregnancy there is a hormonal imbalance that results in severe anxiety, you can engage in meditation and pranayama to beat the anxiety. You can also perform antenatal yoga in the morning.

Make sure you engage in activities you like watching good movies, listening to music, and spending time with your family. Make sure you do not use social media or watch the news much as the news regarding COVID-19 can disturb you mentally and emotionally.

Talk to your loved ones over the phone and avoid going outside.

Immunity levels are affected during pregnancy

The immunity levels are reduced in pregnancy and thus pregnant women are more prone to viral infections and can also get infected to COVID-19.

So, stay alert as pregnancy is susceptible to different viruses because of immunosuppression linked to pregnancy. Contact your health care provider immediately in case of an emergency.

Do not ignore even mild symptoms

Well, during pregnancy a woman may have mild symptoms but during pregnancy, a symptomatic woman is sicker than a normal person with similar symptoms.

The changes that occur in the body during pregnancy compress the diaphragm and decrease lung volumes. It means when the stress increases on the respiratory system, there is no backup to adjust the increased pressure on the respiratory system to help breathe.

So, pregnant women need to stay at home and take a nutritious diet and stay healthy to welcome the new joy in your life. Do not stress out due to the pandemic as it is about staying safe and maintaining hygiene that helps you stay away from the virus. Social distancing and staying indoors is the key to beat the virus.

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