The following information is sourced from the CDC. Read more about pregnancy and COVID-19 here. Full article published by March of Dimes on April 3, 2020.
At this time, we have limited pregnancy-specific data about COVID-19. More studies are being published and we are learning more each day. Public health and medical groups are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and providing regular updates.
Things to keep in mind:
- During pregnancy, your immune system is less quick to respond to illness so you’re more likely to become sick.
- High fevers during the first trimester of pregnancy can increase the risk of certain birth defects.
- Miscarriage and stillbirth have been observed with other coronaviruses and infections (e.g. flu) during pregnancy.
- Based on limited reports, adverse outcomes like preterm birth have been reported among babies born to moms with COVID-19, but it’s not clear if that’s related to maternal infection.
- As of now it’s not clear if a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can transmit the virus to her baby. Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, data had suggested that babies born to moms with the virus did not test positive for COVID-19. Recent data published in the Journal of American Medical Association suggest that transition during pregnancy may be possible. As more studies get published, we will update this information as we learn more.
- There is not enough data yet to know if the virus can spread from you to your baby by breastfeeding. To date, the COVID-19 virus hasn’t been found amniotic fluid or breastmilk.
- Recent data shows that compared to adults, babies and children generally have less severe COVID-19 symptoms. However, among babies and children, babies less than one year old are at a higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19.
To read the full article published by March of Dimes, click HERE.