Bengaluru: 100th pregnant Covid patient delivers girl

BENGALURU: A baby’s cries brought cheer to the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) on Friday as the 100th pregnant Covid-19 patient had a safe delivery at Trauma Care Centre.
To date, a total of 102 children, including two sets of twins, have been born at Trauma Care Centre, a dedicated Covid-19 treatment hospital, and the neighbouring Vani Vilas Hospital. Both are BMCRI facilities.
The child born on Friday is a girl. She is healthy. A special facility for childbirth was created at Trauma Care Centre in April after some pregnant women living in containment zones tested positive for coronavirus. All the deliveries have been overseen by doctors from Vani Vilas. Some took place at Vani Vilas, where a few patients from containment zones were diagnosed with Covid-19 after delivery.
“The staff assisting deliveries wear PPE [personal protective equipment]. Precautions are taken as per the SOP,” said Dr Geetha Shivamurthy, medical superintendent, Vani Vilas.
The new mothers are separated from their children as per Covid-19 treatment protocol. The mothers are kept at Trauma Care Centre, while the babies at Vani Vilas. They are reunited after the mothers make full recovery.
Most newborns are given formula milk as the hospital policy advises against breastfeeding while the mother is still recovering from the infection. Expressed breast milk can be given, provided a family member of the patient agrees to be at the hospital. Only a few mothers have expressed milk for the child.
“The babies are isolated from their mothers as a precaution to ensure that they don’t get infected. If we want to keep the baby with the mother, there should be a caretaker from the family willing to be at the Covid-19 facility. No family has come forward for this,” said Dr Geetha.
Newborns not getting mother’s milk has triggered a debate within and outside the hospital. Breastfeeding is important for an infant’s development. Dr Karthik Nagesh, head of neonatology department at Manipal Hospitals, said the World Health Organization had clearly stated that a mother with Covid-19 should be allowed to breastfeed her child. “The mother can wear a mask and feed the baby. That’s allowed and must be done in the best interest of the baby,” Dr Nagesh said, adding that Covid positive mothers were allowed to breastfeed at Manipal.
Dr Sahana Devadas, head of neonatology at Vani Vilas, said she expressed milk from Covid positive mothers in some cases. “Ideally, the mother and the child should be together. By following hand hygiene and wearing a mask, a mother can provide milk to the child. The current situation is tough for mothers, who are 200 metres away and need human resources to get expressed milk to the child. When they get discharged in 7-10 days, we ensure the baby practises latching,” she said. She has been advocating for breast milk for newborns.