9 Strategies Pregnant People and New Parents Can Use to Reduce Their Risk of Getting Coronavirus

Several weeks into the spread of coronavirus in the United States, most of us have now heard that we need to flatten the curve to stay safe and protect vulnerable community members. And if you don’t know what flattening the curve means, you don’t know enough about coronavirus or its spread to stay safe. Stop reading this right now and click here. Doing so could save the life of someone you love—and maybe even your own life.

If you’re pregnant or love someone who is, flattening the curve is harder. You may have a dozen or more medical appointments—some of which may require you to walk through a busy hospital or encounter sick people. You may be scrambling to take on extra hours at work or purchase things you need, further exposing you to the risk of infection. But you can still stay healthy with these tips.

Ask care providers to wash their hands

Think your care providers are being aggressive about washing their hands and preventing the spread of covid-19? Think again. Numerous reports suggest some health providers may not be taking the coronavirus seriously. Many doctors do not wash their hands. A 2016 study found that, when they don’t know they’re being observed, just 22% of doctors was their hands. Even when they know someone is watching them, handwashing rates among doctors rise only to 57%. Don’t assume your provider washed their hands. Ask every provider who interacts with you to wash their hands in front of you every time. If they don’t do a thorough job and only wash for a second, ask them to do it again. It’s your right as a patient to have a caregiver who respects your safety. You’re not being unreasonable. You’re asking your provider to do the bare minimum to keep you and the people you love alive.

Avoid in-person classes and tours

Don’t attend in-person hospital tours or childbirth preparation classes. The small benefit you gain is not worth the massive risk that comes from spending hours in an enclosed space with other people who might have the virus. Remember, a person can spread the virus for weeks without showing symptoms, so a cough-free class is not a safe class. Ask about online options instead.

Ask for a Plan

With coronavirus sweeping the country, planning for a birth now demands more than just deciding on delayed cord clamping and evaluating pain management options. Your birth plan should also include details about how to reduce the spread of the virus. And that requires a consultation with your provider. Ask them what they will do to keep you safe. Will they minimize the number of medical staff in your room? Discharge you early? What if you have the virus? If your provider does not have a plan, ask them to get one today. After all, you could go into labor any time. You deserve to know what to expect.

Insist on new, sterilized equipment—or bring your own

Coronavirus can live on stainless steel and some other surfaces for days. It may live on cardboard for a day or more, and remain in the air for hours after someone sneezes or coughs. It’s not just dirty hands and coughing patients you have to worry about. Exam tables, birth tubs, and virtually every other piece of equipment can be contaminated. Ask your providers to sterilize everything you use. Bring your own bleach or alcohol-based wipes and wipe down anything you touch or sit on. And where possible, bring your own equipment. For example, purchase a cover for the doppler your midwife uses at each appointment, or ask about buying your own birth tub liner to ensure your water birth can be sanitary.

Practice aggressive social distancing

Staying away from other people as much as possible greatly reduces your risk of getting the virus, or of spreading it to someone else. Work from home. Ask your care provider about reducing the number of medical appointments you must attend. Stop shaking hands. Don’t go to stores. Don’t go to restaurants. The more distance you can create between yourself and other people, the better.

Wash your hands

Antiseptic wipes and hand sanitizer are good substitutes, but handwashing reigns supreme when it comes to preventing infection. Wash your hands every chance you get—especially after going out in public, touching anything outside of your house, using the bathroom, or attending a medical appointment.

Clean everything

Disinfect every frequently used surface in your house, especially those that people exposed to the virus may have come into contact with. Doorknobs, doorbells, counters, and handles are breeding grounds for infection.

Minimize unnecessary medical appointments

If you have a healthy pregnancy, you might not need to go to your doctor—or have your midwife come to you—as often as they recommend you do. Ask which appointments are absolutely necessary, and how you can monitor your pregnancy at home. Then cancel as many appointments as you can, and stay home. If you arrive to an appointment to find a large, crowded waiting room, ask the receptionist if you can wait in the car until your provider is ready to see you. This greatly reduces the risk that an infected person will cough or sneeze near you.

Get home as quickly as possible

If you’re healthy, the hospital is the most dangerous place for you and your baby—especially if random medical staff are poking and prodding you every hour. For healthy, low-risk families, homebirth may present a safe option. If you prefer to give birth in a hospital, spend as little time there as possible. Ask your provider how quickly you can be discharged after giving birth. And avoid going to the hospital until you think birth is imminent (unless, of course, you have a high-risk pregnancy). If your provider insists on keeping you for several days without clear medical evidence, continue asserting your desire to leave. In some cases, it may even be wise to leave against medical advice.

Minimize visitors

New parents have long struggled with visitors who kiss babies, who think their “minor cough” isn’t dangerous, or who don’t wash their hands. This struggle may now be a matter of life and death. Demand that all visitors wash their hands, or even wear masks. Don’t let anyone hold or kiss the baby. And if anyone in your house is immunocompromised or your baby is premature, consider banning visitors until the worst of the outbreak passes.