Being pregnant during the coronavirus pandemic is extremely scary.
If I wasn’t pregnant- I wouldn’t be worried about the coronavirus at all. I don’t even care about myself.... I just want my baby to be healthy, strong, and unbothered.
And, so far, there have only been preliminary studies with small sample sizes to guide us about how the virus may affect babies in the womb. BuzzFeed News spoke to Roger Shapiro, an associate professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard Medical School, who said that while there is not enough evidence to say definitively, evidence does indicate that babies are not severely affected by the coronavirus.
On Monday, Frontiers in Pediatrics published a new study that observed four pregnant women in China who tested positive for the virus.
The women all had full-term births, and three of the babies tested negative for the virus. The other baby's parents did not consent to testing. None of the four babies developed fevers, coughs, or serious symptoms. All babies are being formula fed.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US public health officials cannot confirm whether or not a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can pass it onto her baby during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding.
If influenza, or the flu, is any indication, the impacts of this disease may be worse on pregnant women. That being said, some pregnant women may not show any signs at all.
Please note that the studies to this point have been limited in sample size and shouldn't be taken as definitive guidance on the relative impact of the virus on pregnant women and babies. Please remember the importance of social distancing for everyone during this time.
You can get some more information about pregnancy and the coronavirus from this BuzzFeed News story.
CORRECTION
The parents of one of the babies did not consent to testing. An earlier version of this post misstated that the baby had tested positive for coronavirus.