Pregnancy, Childbirth, Breastfeeding, and Coronavirus Disease: What is known so far?

Abstract

COVID-19 which was officially declared pandemic on 11th March 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO) has resulted in thousands of deaths globally. Since it’s a new disease which was known since December 2019, there are limited evidence available on whether pregnant women are at higher risk of getting Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) than the general public and the evidence of transmitting the virus from mother to baby is inconclusive. This review article aims to capture the current evidence regarding pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and COVID-19. The review included articles that discuss pregnancy and childbirth during COVID-19, available in English language and published between December 2019 and August 2020. All women have the right to high quality maternity care, regardless of their COVID-19 status During pregnancy and childbirth, women have the right to be treated with respect, dignity, confidentiality, information and informed consent; the right to the highest attainable standard of health, and freedom from discrimination and ill-treatment. The paper presents three major themes linking COVID-19 with: (1) pregnancy, (2) childbirth and (3) breastfeeding. Followed by two alerts, one to clinicians: with the current focus on COVID-19 do not to ignore other public health issues affecting pregnant women and new mothers. Secondly, reminder to policy-makers and politicians: measure to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, such as self-isolation and avoiding public spaces and public transport can lead to an increase in other risk factors for pregnant women, including worse mental health and lower uptake of preventative services such as antenatal care and institutional birth.