The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus has raised a very difficult question to answer: is it necessary to anticipate pregnancy when there is SARS-Cov2 infection in pregnant patients? “We must have a conservative attitude,” says Nicolas Brogly, anesthesiologist at the Sanitas La Zarzuela University Hospital.
“ The infection alone does not represent in itself an indication to anticipate delivery , if the disease is not accompanied by other complications and if there is no compromise on fetal well-being. The decision always has to be agreed by gynecologists, anesthesiologists and neonatologists, for the good of the mother and the child ”.
Cesarean section or induced labor do not reduce the risk of transmission of the virus to the newborn and can open the door to the appearance of complications in the mother, as well as make breastfeeding difficult, adds Anabel Prieto, gynecologist at La Zarzuela.
“ Termination of pregnancy is not routinely indicated in women with mild symptoms of the disease . Only in the case of the mother’s serious condition would it be necessary to end the pregnancy by the quickest route and this way is usually cesarean section ”.
Attention to delivery in pregnant women with Covid
The hospital is providing fully personalized, specialized and safe delivery care for healthy pregnant women with COVID infection, diagnosing the presence or absence of the virus by nasopharyngeal PCR upon admission, which allows guaranteeing safety protocols for patients and health workers, with two separate assistance circuits in both the obstetric and surgical blocks.
“In all cases, the patient will be accompanied by her partner during labor and the puerperium, and we will not separate the baby from its mother , encouraging, if she wishes, to breastfeed. The benefits of breastfeeding are greater than the potential risk of transmission of the virus in breast milk, ”explains Prieto.
The hospital has a Respected Childbirth Program that has earned it the highest distinction from the Initiative for Humanization in Childbirth and Lactation Care (IHAN). Naturally, the pandemic has forced some changes in the processes and circuits, but the center remains committed to the wishes of the mother to guarantee that her delivery, even in conditions of positive for coronavirus, is attended in the most respectful conditions.
Given that pregnant women belong to a particularly vulnerable population, the detection of positive cases for coronavirus is a priority: “Childbirth is a time of special risk of generation of aerosols and contamination of the health environment. The protection of the woman in labor, her companion, and also the staff, who in turn can be vectors of the infection, is a fundamental element of the care system to guarantee the safety of all. It is not only a matter of individual protection, but a problem of public health and the protection of the entire population ”, recalls Brogly.
The La Zarzuela Hospital care protocol for pregnant women ensures the safety of future mothers: once they have been subjected to the mandatory coronavirus test, if it is positive, they will be able to receive personalized and specialized care, by a team prepared for the disease. COVID-19, and they will be isolated in a way that will protect their family from possible contagion. If the test is negative, the patient will receive the usual care, but with the assurance that she will not cross with potentially infected patients and will be able to leave the hospital without risk of contracting the disease during her delivery.
In Babies and more | Coronavirus and breastfeeding: what precautions to take if you are breastfeeding your baby
