Pregnant women often don't know what questions to ask the doctor during pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a special yet difficult process for women. Even difficult if you're pregnant during this pandemic.
In this article, we'll give you 6 questions that OB-GYN themselves want you to ask during your telehealth or in-person prenatal consultation visits to help you feel secure, at ease, and prepared during these trying times.
Does COVID-19 cause birth defects?
According to Dr. Laura Riley, while there is still not enough data from the COVID-19 pandemic to confirm this, she said that they have not seen something like that to happen with someone positive with the virus and had delivered.
What is the hospital's policy around COVID-19 testing?
Ask doctors of their policy regarding the coronavirus testing. This is because every hospital has a different policy, not to mention that those can change based on the confirmed numbers in the area. Dr. Riley said that they do this to know if people are infected at the time of your delivery, to inform them of safety measures. She added that they would also wear a lot more personal protective equipment or PPE if this happens.
Will hospitals separate pregnant women from their babies if tested positive?
Another question to ask the doctor during pregnancy is ensuring not just you but your baby's safety as well. Dr. Riley explained that in their hospital, they do not isolate the baby from the COVID-positive parents. What they do is they keep the baby in an isolette incubator. And even if the mother is positive with the virus, they still encourage breastfeeding.
Can a support person join in the in-office appointments?
Ask this during your check-up visits. During pregnancy, women would need all the support that they can get, even more so during these trying times. According to Dr. Nadia B. Kunzier, they only let the pregnant women inside during consultations. She said that this is to keep their safety, as well as their way of limiting their contacts with the patients.
Will pregnant women have mostly telehealth appointments during their prenatal care?
Dr. Jessica Shepherd agrees that telehealth will soon become a major part of the healthcare system. Although this is unusual, especially for women during their pregnancy, Dr. Shepherd assured them that this is important to ensure their safety and well-being.
How does telehealth appointments work?
Another addition to the necessary questions to ask the doctor during pregnancy is what to do during telehealth appointments. Dr. Ashley Roman tells each woman to have their blood pressure checked at home during these telehealth appointments to monitor them. If they notice a consistently high blood pressure from them, she quickly arranges in-office appointments to better consult and check them. These blood pressure logs and other documents are sent to Dr. Roman through email.
