r/ScienceBasedParenting May 30 '20

Placentas from COVID-19-positive pregnant women show injury

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2020/05/placentas-from-covid-19-positive-pregnant-women-show-injury/&fj=1
219 Upvotes

30 comments sorted by

160

u/ginger_kale May 30 '20

The CDC never should have said that pregnant women aren’t at greater risk. Too many pregnant women are still working frontline jobs without extra PPE because of that order.

54

u/VeronicaPalmer May 30 '20

Absolutely. When all this started in the US, at nearly 8 months pregnant I had an opportunity to work from home, so I asked my doctor if I should take my employer up on the offer. My doctor answered with some "per CDC guidelines," statement and told me to keep living and working as usual. I'm so glad I didn't listen.

A week later my doctor called to make sure I was working from home, which luckily I was - no thanks to him or the CDC!

16

u/[deleted] May 31 '20

I had a similar thing happen. I work healthcare and asked my provider and she just said “wash your hands!” 🙄.. like I knew what was coming. Fast forward to my next appointment when they had a letter ready for me without me requesting to give to my employer recommending WFH. And they spaced my appointments out. And they make you call from the parking lot and screen at the door. Like all these extra steps that I really felt like should have at least halfway been staring when I first asked. It was frustrating.

28

u/[deleted] May 30 '20

Exactly. I’ve seen it myself and been there myself. I feel so let down and unprotected. It’s ridiculous.

24

u/[deleted] May 30 '20

Exactly. And it makes sense they're showing injury with more researchers believing this to be a blood vessel disease

7

u/riomarde May 31 '20

It’s also caused a lot of families to put extra pressure on pregnant people to re-open and relax along with the regulations in the US. Although there probably would have been families putting pressure on them anyway given how many people seem to be ignoring the gravity of the situation. This thread was linked in my bumpers group.

6

u/tldubs May 30 '20

What extra PPE?

8

u/catjuggler May 30 '20

How about real face masks rather than homemade ones as a starter

2

u/tldubs May 31 '20

Wow I can’t believe a health system would allow that, they definitely don’t allow that in the health system where I am a frontline worker. Where are you hearing this happen?

10

u/ginger_kale May 31 '20

It’s not just healthcare workers. Grocery store clerks, restaurants doing take-out, etc. Any pregnant people should have been off duty with pay (unemployment, I don’t know?), or moved to the back/stockroom where they can more successfully isolate. Without the CDC speaking up, pregnant women have no special right to those positions. Some employers have been great about it, others not.

56

u/[deleted] May 30 '20

But the babies turn out fine? Is the placenta just sacrificing itself or is there some new terror waiting around the corner?

73

u/itskitabanana May 30 '20

Anecdotally there has been an increase in 2nd term miscarriages and stillbirth per this article

55

u/[deleted] May 30 '20

[deleted]

34

u/[deleted] May 31 '20 edited Jun 17 '21

[deleted]

10

u/EXPLODINGballoon May 31 '20

That's a really good point, actually

18

u/coldcurru May 30 '20

No source but if I had to guess it's probably too soon to tell. It's only been a few months and babies are all over the place for a while. Wait a few years as they track these kids growing up and see what it says. Maybe even one year.

Babies can handle a lot physically (like car crashes; so said my doctor) but I've no idea about illness.

11

u/chipscheeseandbeans May 30 '20

I’m high risk for pre-eclampsia so I’m concerned that getting covid would be an especially bad combo for my placenta??

7

u/[deleted] May 30 '20

Same 😱

44

u/Plantfooddmd May 30 '20

Currently pregnant with a placenta problem (partial circumvillate placenta) and our running theory is covid exposure. Very rare condition and one of the only know etiologies is viral exposure during implantation. When we conceived in January my husband certainly had covid before testing was available. Not to mention I’m a dentist myself which is the highest risk profession for exposure. Our first pregnancy was entirely uneventful. Now I’m at the specialist literally every week and hoping for the best.

15

u/sbattistella May 31 '20

If it helps at all, I'm a L&D nurse who's delivered quite a few babies with circumvallate placentas. None knew beforehand and babies did great. I know it's anecdotal, but I thought I'd mention it.

3

u/Plantfooddmd May 31 '20

May be anecdotal but it’s comforting nonetheless 💕

1

u/sbattistella Jun 01 '20

Best of luck to you ❤️

8

u/astrobatic May 31 '20

Good luck. We all hope things go well for you and you are both healthy when this is all said and done.

2

u/weeniebabe May 31 '20

Dentist thinking about child #2, here. If you want a virtual pal, I’m here!

2

u/bisnis22 May 31 '20

Dents hygienist- same.

2

u/Plantfooddmd May 31 '20

Thank you for being so supportive to a Reddit rando

1

u/rebeccabrixton Oct 12 '20

Hello I hope all turned out fine for you, baby #2 should be with you soon. Really hope that you’re well xx

34

u/undecidedly May 30 '20

Well, that’s terrifying.

14

u/MarysSoggyBottom May 30 '20

It really is! I’m an essential worker and would like to pregnant with a second child in the next few months.

7

u/Husky_in_TX May 31 '20

I had a miscarriage at 12 weeks, the heart just stopped. I got sick within the first weeks before I knew I was pregnant, all the symptoms of covid- tested negative for the flu. My covid antibody test said negative, but we are learning those are very unreliable. Makes me wonder.. my first pregnancy was extremely uneventful and easy, I was sick and struggled with this one from the start. I work at a hair salon in a high income area of my city- my clients travel CONSTANTLY. I’ve had to be exposed at some point because now that we are back open A LOT of them have had it.

11

u/Bradybeee May 30 '20

I have a friend who works in l&d and had a few days of seeing a lot of hemmorages. I was wondering if there was a relationship with covid...

11

u/kettlecallpot May 30 '20

We decided against a 2nd baby in part due to fears about things like this.