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Coronavirus And Pregnancy - Some Myths And Facts

Covid-19 / CoronaVirus: First some clarification. Coronavirus is a large 'family' of viruses that cause illness in both humans and animals. Covid-19, the recently discovered 'member' of this 'family,' is the one we humans are facing now, worldwide. All members of this 'family' cause respiratory illnesses of various levels of seriousness.

So, on that note, the following are, in no particular order, some Myths and Facts related to Covid-19 and Pregnancy:-

MYTH: Pregnant women are not at risk.
FACT: They are as much at risk as any other person, but changes in the immune system during pregnancy, makes a woman MORE vulnerable to respiratory infections, even more so if they have any preexisting medical conditions.

MYTH: No mask if no symptoms.
FACT: Wearing a mask is a physical reminder to NOT TOUCH your face and thus provides extra protection. Regularly wash hands, cloth masks and discard non-washable ones.

MYTH: It is safe to travel.
FACT: Travel of any kind leads to high chances of contact with infected persons or surfaces and should be avoided to the greatest extent possible

MYTH: Breastfeeding transfers the virus.
FACT: Covid-19 transfers through respiratory droplets and touch. Breastfeeding will not transfer the virus. Till date it has not been detected in breastmilk. However, if infected, it is recommended to use a breast pump to extract the milk and feed the baby separately. The milk is safe.