'Mother unlikely to pass on coronavirus to newborn'

PATNA: Pregnancy is a stressful time for would-be mothers and the Covid-19 pandemic has only added to their worries. The situation is worse for pregnant women, who have tested positive for Covid-19.
They are not only worried about the impact of the virus on their new-born child’s health, they are also confused whether to go for natural delivery or opt for Caesarean Section to avoid the transmission of this virus.
However, in what may give confidence to would-be mothers in the city, an global research paper published in ‘BJOG: An international journal of obstetrics and gynecology’, in June this year, has found that the majority of babies born out of Covid-19 positive mothers were neither positive nor symptomatic.
The research included 49 studies from different countries and data on 655 Covid-19 positive women was collected. These women gave birth to 666 children of whom 292 children were born vaginally and 374 were Caesarean babies. Ten underwent Caesarean birth for twins and one woman had vaginal birth of both twins.
It was found that 28 children had tested positive for the virus and they account for 4% of the total birth. Of these positive children, eight were born vaginally (2.7%) and 20 were born by caesarean (5.3%).
This international study has been further supported by deliveries by Covid-positive women at AIIMS-Patna. Out of nine live births this month, seven infants have tested negative for the virus, including two who were born vaginally.
Thanks to the dedicated team of doctors at AIIMS, all children born of Covid-19 positive mothers are out of danger and are healthy. Dr Mukta Agarwal, additional professor of obstetrics and gynaecologist at AIIMS said, “Eleven Covid-19 positive women had come to the hospital and nine alive children were born. While one four month pregnancy got terminated as the woman had fallen down while another woman gave birth to a still born.”
She added, “We do not know the reason behind this stillbirth. The lady came to us after the baby’s movement had stopped. She was diabetic and also had a history of hypertension.”
She further said of the total 11 deliveries, eight were Caesarean and three normal deliveries. Also two newborns who had tested positive for Covid-19 were caesarean babies. “That means vertical transmission should not be a mode of transmission, though studies are still going on. In the case of HIV, virus passes from mother to child. So far, most of the babies born from Covid-19 positive mothers have tested negative,” said Dr Agarwal.
She appreciated her team for trying their best to help the women during this pandemic and added, “Most women who have come to us were denied treatment and deliveries at other hospitals. We take full precaution during delivery.”