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Most Babies Born to Covid-19 Moms Do Well
An OB-GYN reviews the early research and the protective role of the placenta
Giving birth in a pandemic considerably ups the stakes of concern. Pregnant women around the world are worried they will catch Covid-19 and pass it on to their newborn baby. And we know that viral infections in pregnancy and postpartum can lead to poor outcomes in babies.
Much remains unknown about the coronavirus’s effects on pregnant women and babies, but a recent prepublished manuscript titled “Infant Outcomes Following Maternal Infection With SARS-CoV-2” demonstrates highly encouraging results.
The new data shows that babies born to women with Covid-19 demonstrate no increase in low birth weight, difficulty breathing, apnea, or respiratory infections through the first eight weeks of life.
Based on what scientists know right now, there is no evidence indicating pregnant women are more at risk of contracting Covid-19 than the general public, but they are at a higher risk of getting sick from the virus.
During pregnancy, women have a temporarily suppressed immune system and physiologic changes in their lung function. These changes put pregnant women at a higher risk of respiratory problems when they contract similar viruses, such as influenza or pneumonia. OB-GYNs therefore consider pregnant women to be an at-risk group for respiratory compromise if they contract Covid-19. Additionally, preterm labor is a known risk when pregnant women contract viral illnesses such as MERS, SARS, and influenza. Preterm labor most likely results from the severity of the maternal illness and is not directly linked to the virus itself. In other words, preterm labor is not simply a result of contracting these viruses but rather dependent on the degree of illness that results.
In addition to preterm labor, OB-GYNs are concerned about a pregnant woman’s potential to pass Covid-19 to her baby during gestation. This is an example of what doctors call vertical…
