A mother creates, loves, cherishes, and raises a little child. This Mother’s day comes with several challenges because of the unprecedented wave of Covid-19. Expected mothers and new mothers are worried because it is about the wellbeing of their little ones. So in this Chimes originals podcast, Parenting & Childhood”, we bring to you a very senior doctor from Manipal Hospitals, Dr. (Lt Col) Leena N Sreedhar. In this interview, she discusses “Motherhood In Times Of Covid” and provides tips for expecting mothers to prevent getting infected by Covid-19.

In this pandemic, the expecting mothers are always worried and in doubt of whether they should visit the hospital or do a video consultation. Unfortunately, when near the due date they have to come to the hospital which stresses them both mentally and emotionally. 

1. How can the expecting mothers prevent getting infected by Covid 19?

- Three important factors to follow are:

• Wear a face mask well covering the mouth and nose.
• Maintaining social distancing. They must visit the hospital with a proper appointment to avoid the crowd.
• Frequent handwashing and hand hygiene

2. Is it safe for the expecting mother to get themselves vaccinated?

- As of now, vaccination is not being promoted or allowed for pregnant women. They must follow preventive measures and avoid any kind of movement out of the house. 

3. How dangerous it is when an expectant mother is infected by Covid-19?

- Since pregnancy is a state where immunity is low, therefore Covid-19 can create a lot of havoc during this time. Almost 85% of pregnant women are seen to have very mild symptoms or are completely asymptomatic. One should not panic at all but undergo a proper cure.

4. What are the conditions in which mothers can have to save delivery during this time?

- If a Covid positive woman is coming for her delivery, then:

• She must maintain contact with her gynecologist, who can assure a safe delivery
• Guidelines suggest that she must be kept in a separate labor room where special arrangements are made for her
• The newborns are isolated and are also tested for the infection
• Since the transfer from mother to child is extremely rare, therefore one should not panic about the fact that newborn should also be infected

Dr. Shreedhar further informs us about the post-delivery precautions for mother and child that are necessary these days and how hospitals are treating both the child and mother after the delivery. To learn further about these important factors, listen to the podcast now.