It is overwhelming to find oneself Covid-19 positive while being pregnant. Contrary to the earlier findings of there being no vertical transmission of the virus from the mother to the fetus, recent studies suggest that there may be a probability. Keep the following things in mind.
1. Medicate strictly under the guidance and supervision of your obstetrician or physician. People start self-medicating or using home remedies as a means to recover from Covid-19 symptoms. But for a pregnant woman, this could be dangerous. Whatever goes crosses the placenta, which may affect the baby.
2. Breathing exercises will help increase lung capacity and its overall functioning. Pregnancy itself is known to alter the body’s immunity, making an expecting mother prone to viral infections. As the pregnancy progresses, the growing baby pushes against the diaphragm, reducing the lung capacity. You can begin with deep inhalations and exhalations, anulom-vilom, pursed lip breathing, and Om chanting that allows you to breathe deeply.
3. Loss of smell, taste and appetite can make it difficult to focus on nutrition and nearly impossible to eat when symptoms are full-blown but pregnant women have to focus on balanced meals. Each meal should have carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
4. Hydration is important for everybody but particularly pregnant women as it helps maintain the levels of amniotic fluid that is home for the baby. Additionally, the increased blood volume is supported by the mother’s fluid intake. Water helps flush out toxins.
5. If your body is fighting Covid-19, make it a point to use your mind to create high-energy thoughts. Anxiety is bad for you.
There is currently no data to suggest that the Covid-19 infection in an expecting mother increases the risk of pregnancy loss or pre-term labour. Nor is there any evidence to show the teratogenic effect on the growing baby. Keep this positive news in mind but make sure to speed up recovery.
The author is a pregnancy/childbirth and lactation specialist and also a physiotherapist and founder of Therhappy that provides antenatal and postnatal care