Updated November 23, 2020
New research shows that pregnant people who are infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may have a higher risk of having a preterm baby, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . However, we are still learning how COVID-19 affects preterm babies.
A preterm baby is one who is born too early, before 37 weeks
of pregnancy. Preterm babies may not be fully developed at birth. They may have
more health
problems and may need to stay in the hospital longer than babies born
later. Some may have breathing problems because their lungs are not fully
developed.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
Symptoms of COVID-19 for people of all ages include fever,
cough and shortness of breath. Mild symptoms to severe illness can appear
within 2 to 14 days of being infected. Recent data shows that compared with adults,
babies and children generally have less severe COVID-19 symptoms. However,
babies less than 1 year old are at a higher risk of getting very sick from
COVID-19 than older children. In rare cases, children can become very sick with
COVID-19 and can die.
The symptoms of COVID-19 are similar in children and adults.
In general, babies and children with COVID-19 may have mild symptoms. Some may
not have any symptoms.
COVID-19 symptoms for babies include:
- Fever
or chills - Cough
- Nasal
congestion or runny nose - New
loss of taste or smell - Sore
throat - Shortness
of breath or difficulty breathing - Stomachache,
diarrhea, nausea or vomiting - Tiredness
- Headache
- Muscle
or body aches - Poor
appetite or feeding issues, especially in babies under 1 year old
If your baby has been around someone with COVID-19 or has
symptoms of the disease, contact your health care provider immediately. Get
emergency medical care if your baby has:
- Seems
confused or won’t wake up - Looks
blue around the nose, lips or on the skin - Has
trouble breathing - Can’t
keep liquids down
How can you avoid passing COVID-19 to your baby?
If you have or think you may have COVID-19, your provider
may suggest that you stay in a separate room from your baby until the risk of
spreading the disease has passed. Researchers are still learning if COVID-19
can pass through breast milk to babies. Most information shows that it is safe
to feed breast milk to your baby when you have COVID-19. If you and your baby can
be together, take steps to decrease the risk of passing the infection to your
baby:
- Keep
your newborn more than 6 feet away from you as much as possible. - Wash
your hands for at least 20 seconds before touching your baby. Use hand
sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. - Wear a
face mask when within 6 feet of your baby and especially when
breastfeeding. Never cover your baby’s face with a mask. - Wash
your hands before touching any breast pump or bottle parts. - Clean
all pump and bottle parts after use. - Consider
having someone who is not sick feed your breast milk to your baby after
you pump.
How do you know if your baby has COVID-19?
Experts don’t know if babies born prematurely are at a
higher risk of getting COVID-19 than other children. Some studies show that
newborns may become infected with COVID-19 after close contact with someone
with the virus or someone who has the virus but has no symptoms.
Your baby may be diagnosed with COVID-19 if he has:
- At
least one of the symptoms listed above - An
abnormal chest X-ray - Been
around someone with COVID-19
To learn more visit marchofdimes.org/covid19
