CORONAVIRUS AND PREGNANCY.

Coronavirus are a family of viruses that circulate in both human and animal, they pass from person to person through droplets ( the cough and sneeze of infected people) the baby can be exposed to such droplet after birth.
Pregnancy is an exciting and stressful time for a woman, her mind races with lots of questions and concerns ranging from mild to very serious ones.
WHAT ARE SYMPTOMS?
The most common symptoms whether pregnant or not are;
- Dry cough
- fever
-shortnese of breath
- fatigue
- sore throat
- Headache
Call your doctor if you have any of these symptoms and are pregnant.
ARE PREGNANT WOMEN MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE VIRUS?
The virus hasn't been extensively studied, so no one can say for sure, but "the centre for disease control and prevention" notes that pregnant women are more susceptible than others to all kinds of respiratory infections such as flu, this is partly because of the way pregnancy impact the lungs and heart.
Even so as of March 2020, there no concrete evidence suggesting that pregnant women are more prone to COVID-19 than other people.
WHAT MEDlCAL TREATMENT ARE SAFE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN WITH CORONAVIRUS?
Treatment for covid-19 is similar to the treatment of other respiratory illness whether you are pregnant or not.
- Taking antipyretic for fever.
- staying well hydrated with water or low-sugar drink.
- Rest.
However the best thing to do is to call your doctor if you experience any of the symptoms during pregnancy.
EFFECT OF CORONAVIRUS ON PREGNANCY.
- miscarriage
- preterm birth
- stillbirth
-Birth defect
CAN THE VIRUS PASS FROM MOTHER TO BABY DURING PREGNANCY OR CHILD?
Judging from the women who has given birth while infected with this the answer is probably no, there's no strong evidence
that it does.There are one or two known cases where a newborn tested positive for the virus but no evidence that they got it while in the womb.
CAN CORONAVIRUS PASS THROUGH BREASTMlLK?
In the few studies that have been done on breastfeeding women with the coronavirus, the answer appears to be no. But experts caution that more research need to be done before they can definitely say there's no risk.
Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of breastfeeding, if you do decide to breastfeed, you can help limit your baby's exposure to the virus by.
- wearing a face mask.
-washing your hands thoroughly before touching your baby.
- washing your hands thoroughly before handling a breast pump or bottle.
- considering having someone who is well give the baby a bottle of expressed breast milk.
WHAT ARE THE BEST STRATEGIES FOR AVOIDING THE CORONAVIRUS?
-Washing your hands for at least 20secs with soap and water.
-use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.
- stand 6 feet away from people.
- Avoid touching your face especially your mouth, eyes and nose.
- stay out of large crowd.
-Take care of yourself, eat well, get enough rest, exercise.
CONCLUSION
Like swollen ankles and constipation, worry is a constant companion when you are pregnant.
While much still needs to be learned about the virus, the little research that is out shows that pregnant women with COVID- 19 are not more likely than others to have severe effect on their health because of Coronavirus, and the virus is not passed along to their babies during pregnancy or childbirth.
As the saying goes, it pays to be prepared, not scared, simple steps like thorough hand washing and limiting your time in crowds can go a long way in protecting you and your baby.

Questions and comments.

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