PREGNANT

A San Antonio mother who prematurely delivered twins while battling COVID-19 is now recovered and soon will get to bring her babies home from the hospital.

In 2016, Valerie Collignon gave birth at 35 weeks, which resulted in a week-long NICU stay that she described as “traumatizing.”

The World Health Organization recently reversed its recommendation that pregnant women not get the Moderna vaccine -- and took a similar position on the Pfizer vaccine. That means pregnant women are now being told the vaccine is safe. The WHO recently reversed their recommendation that pregnant women not get the Moderna vaccine, and took a similar position on the Pfizer vaccine. “The position was based on the fact that pregnant women were not enrolled in the studies, so there isn’t data on them. So far, luckily, we haven’t see seriously increased health risks in infants.”Can COVID-positive mothers breastfeed?

When Delicia Garza’s newborn daughter underwent surgery, an operation that required an overnight hospital stay, the San Antonio woman said it felt like the walls were closing in on her.

When Melissa Vick gave birth to her first child, a son, in May 2017, she and her husband Greg felt like they were able to share him with their friends and family, almost immediately.

Are you or your partner pregnant -- or have you delivered in the past few months? We want to hear from you.

SAN ANTONIO Dr. Patrick Ramsey, chief of maternal-fetal medicine at UT Health San Antonio, says expectant mothers and women who just gave birth need to take additional precautions to avoid infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 15 to 20% of OBGYN patients are COVID-19 positive, and about 85% of positive cases are asymptomatic. At 38 weeks, she tested positive for COVID-19. Every newborn is tested for COVID-19 at birth and 48 hours after birth, Ramsey said. And from the breastfeeding standpoint, breastfeeding is still strongly recommended.San Antonio reported 211 positive COVID-19 cases involving children under the age of one as of July 17.

Whether you’re pregnant now or you were hoping to be in the next few months, this might feel like an overwhelming time, living through the current coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic. Time magazine recently reported that fact in an article this week about COVID-19 and how it relates to pregnant women. Yes, pregnant women are generally more susceptible to viruses, for example, the flu. It’s true that there’s limited information and published literature about exactly how susceptible pregnant women are to COVID-19, and the severity of infection. If you’re pregnant or had been trying for a baby, stay in even better contact with your doctor or health care provider.