Agnė gave birth to COVID-19: she told me it was different than usual

The head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Kaunas Clinics, Prof. Dr. Meilė Minkauskienė ensures that although the number of pregnant women and mothers with COVID-19 has increased and all general safety requirements must be observed, they should not have too scary, as complications are rare, says the press release.

“I didn’t really feel the taste and smell for a while before I came to give birth. When I got to the clinic, I informed the staff about my symptoms and I suspected the test would be positive. I’m glad I reacted calmly to the Of course, it also helped that the coronavirus came in a very mild form for me: the loss of smell and taste is a really unpleasant experience, but it’s certainly not the worst case. I think the most severe symptoms of COVID -19 would have led to a less successful delivery, ”says a twenty-eight-year-old woman.

Agnė, who lives in Vilkaviškis, says that she gave birth in much the same way as other mothers. Her case differed from healthy ones only in that all the doctors wore a lot of protective equipment during delivery and, due to all the safety requirements, staff shifts had to change every four hours; up to four shifts changed during a woman’s delivery.

“Everything made communication between them a little bit, I was afraid that he would not listen to all the medical recommendations or do something wrong. However, the delivery went without problems, the baby underwent all the mandatory tests, including COVID- 19, which was negative, and the next day they took us home, ”says the young mother.

In the Kaunas clinics, the obstetrician-gynecologist M. Minkauskienė, who often communicates with pregnant women or infected mothers, says that although coronavirus infection during pregnancy is more dangerous than usual, complications are very rare.

“The vast majority of pregnant women and mothers are young and healthy women, like Agn A. Therefore, very often coronavirus infection does not cause major problems. You should not worry too much about giving birth if you know you have or have had a COVID-19 infection. The most important thing is to monitor your health and, if necessary, consult a doctor, who will perform a more detailed examination of you and the fetus “, advises the obstetrician-gynecologist.

The virus is more dangerous for older mothers.

However, Dr. M. Minkauskienė warns that people with comorbidities, such as obesity or diabetes and older than 35 years. The infection is much more dangerous for pregnant women and mothers. After all, research shows that pregnant women who have turned 35 are 4 to 5 times more likely to enter the intensive care unit than non-pregnant women of the same age. This risk increases because a woman’s entire immune system, lung function, and anatomy change during pregnancy, increasing the likelihood that the virus will affect the body.

In addition, the head of the Obstetrics Department of the Kaunas Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic emphasizes that the coronavirus increases the probability of preterm birth: Of course, it is usually threatened to give birth prematurely when the disease is serious: a woman has a fever, respiratory failure, etc. The fetus may then be at risk and may need to consider various alternatives, including terminating the pregnancy. However, even without experiencing more severe symptoms, there is a risk of spontaneous preterm labor and contractions, so you need to constantly monitor your own health and the health of the fetus. “

Asta Speičytė-Radzevičienė, director of the National Initiative “Raising Lithuania” and the Association of Premature Newborns “Neišnešiotukas”, says that although the risk of premature birth is higher during this period, there is no need to be very afraid: about 15 million . Approximately 1,500 parents are born in Lithuania each year. In our country, the survival rate of premature infants is one of the highest. The Early Childhood Help and Support Line (tel. +370 612 03800) has also been in operation for some time, and useful and science-based tips on caring for premature babies can be found on the remote educational platform www .auginulietuva.lt, which started a few months ago. And where are the nearby communities of early parents, who help a lot psychologically. “

The remote educational platform www.auginulietuva.lt is part of the national initiative “Raising Lithuania” implemented by the Association of Premature Newborns “Neišnešiotukas”, as well as the “Ankstukai” project, which has been running for several years. The aim of the initiative is to improve the demographic situation in Lithuania by ensuring optimal state support and care for each new Lithuanian citizen.