MAKING SURE YOU'RE INFORMED 

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Hearing that you are part of a vulnerable group when pregnant, must have been scary, and it can be easy to get lost and overwhelmed in the sea of information online. It is so important to be informed so that you can prepare for your birth in a calm, confident way, and still working towards the birth you envisaged. Here, I will lay out up to date the latest advice and guidelines according to the RCOG for pregnancy and birth during Covid-19, lay out up to date information for Bristol Trusts and look at what aspects of birth we can still control.

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The facts 

The majority of women who become infected will experience mild or moderate cold or flu like symptoms, cough, fever and shortness of breath.  Individual responses are different for individual viruses and strains, and a small number of women in the last trimester, may have a more severe reaction, if their immune system has been impacted through pregnancy. This is something midwives and doctors have known about for a long time and are used to looking out for signs. If this happens to you contact your midwifery support team, NHS 111 or local medical alternative.

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If you have no symptoms

You will still have midwife led care, be able to birth in a Birth Pool and have your Birth Partner present (providing they test negative on a lateral flow test). Your homebirth and Midwife Led Unit birth will be the same. If you birth in a hospital setting, your birth partner will still be there at the birth, but will not be able to stay with you once you transfer onto the labour ward and will have limited visiting hours until you are ready to come home. 

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If you do have symptoms

If you think you might have or do have Covid-19 and have gone into labour, you will stay at home during the latent phase, as normal. You will still be able to have a homebirth, but if you test positive on a lateral flow test and wish to transfer to an MLU or hospital setting then your birth partner will need to have tested negative. The midwives will wear extra PPE and will still support you to have a positive birth experience.  It is very rare that the virus can pass from mother to baby in utero or during the birth process and there is no impact on baby’s development, even if you have the virus. This means vaginal birth is still encouraged.

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After baby is born

It is very rare that Covid-19 can be passed from mother to baby in the womb or through breastmilk, in fact, there is evidence to show that Mum passes antibodies to baby if she has the virus. Any media reports to the contrary are based on false evidence. Unlike China, the UK is not separating infected mothers and their babies for 14 days and they are advising that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the risk of infection; in fact breastmilk protects against infectious diseases. Some precautions you may wish to take include regular handwashing, wearing a facemask and avoiding coughing or sneezing whilst baby is on the breast. To further reassure you, infants who have contracted Covid-19 have displayed very mild symptoms. 

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What's happening in Bristol? 

• St Mikes have resumed their Home Birth Service. Southmead have a limited service

• Birth partners are able to be present for all of labour, which is normally the duration in the MLU. In the CDS birth partners will need to leave once Mum transfers to the ward a few hours after giving birth although Southmead are starting to relax this

•  The use of baths and birth pools are still available and encouraged

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