Virus disrupts pregnancy plans, raises anxiety and questions

certain birth defects. There are a few reports of babies born prematurely but there is no evidence that the coronavirus was the cause.

To limit the risk of infection, some doctors are doing prenatal checkups by phone or video conference. Some are implementing or considering limits on visitors in the delivery room. At some New York City hospitals, that meant no spouses or partners either, until the state said one person was allowed.

Federal recommendations say hospitals should consider separating infected mothers from newborns until the mother tests negative for the virus, but that is not a mandate, said Dr. Brenna Hughes, a Duke University specialist who helped write the obstetric groups’ guidance.

Some pregnant women are seeking to have labor induced early to avoid hospitals during a possible surge of COVID-19 cases, and others are suddenly deciding to give birth at home. Mainstream medical groups advise against both.

“We believe that planned hospital birth is the safest option for pregnant women,” Hughes said.

She added that for women who are planning to become pregnant, there’s no specific advice against it during the pandemic.

Some hospitals are seeing pregnant women from out-of-state virus hot spots, who are seeking to give birth in a safer environment. These include Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut, 35 miles from New York City, and Tufts Medical Center, 200 miles away, in Boston. Tufts is not accepting any routine OB/GYN transfers from any COVID-19 surge areas that advise against travel, said spokesman Jeremy Lechan.