At Coterie, our goal is to make your life as a parent a little bit easier. We know during the COVID-19 outbreak there are so many questions that come up, especially surrounding the health of your family. That’s why we spoke with Dr. Jen Trachtenberg to answer some of your most asked questions about the coronavirus and your health.* Dr. Trachtenberg is a board-certified pediatrician, nationally renowned parenting expert, author, spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
1. Are there any additional measures I should take if I’m pregnant given the prevalence of the coronavirus?
With the information we currently have, we aren’t sure if pregnant women have a higher risk of getting the infection or if it would cause more serious complications like with other viral infections like the influenza. With that in mind, it’s important for pregnant women to take precautions to avoid contracting COVID-19. I would recommend social distancing, staying home as much as possible, washing your hands frequently, coughing or sneezing into the crook of your elbow, avoiding hand shaking, as well as avoiding contact with anyone with a fever, cough, sore throat or runny nose.
2. Are there known complications if I contract COVID-19 while pregnant?
At this time, it’s not known if COVID-19 causes any complications of increased risk to the unborn baby before or after birth. However, so far, no infants born to COVID-positive mothers have tested positive for the virus. Also, the virus was not found in breast milk or amniotic fluid.
3. Should I skip prenatal appointments to avoid contracting COVID-19?
Prenatal care is extremely important for the health of the mom and the baby. Please speak with your obstetrician about how to go about making an appointment to continue prenatal care in their office. Do not just stop going for fear of catching COVID-19 as this could ultimately be more detrimental to the health of you and your baby.
4. What should I do if my child is exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus?
In children, symptoms of COVID-19 include a cough, runny nose, fever, sore throat and possibly respiratory distress. They may have all or just a few of the symptoms, just like adults. In general, children seem to have much milder symptoms and recover more quickly, without severe complications. If your child has these symptoms, my advice is to call your pediatrician. However, if the symptoms are mild like a cold/flu, keep them home, and treat the symptoms with fever reducers (if needed), steam, humidifiers, nasal saline, and honey which works well for coughs, but should only be given to your child if they are over the age of one. Try keeping them away from other family members, wash your hands frequently, don’t share food, and disinfect the areas and surfaces they come into contact with.
5. Should I continue to breastfeed if I think I might have the coronavirus?
If you think you have COVID-19 or have tested positive, you should speak with your healthcare provider about breastfeeding as every circumstance surrounding mom and baby is unique. As of now, it appears the virus is not spread through breast milk. If you have symptoms you should take precautions to limit the spread to others including your baby. However, if continuing to breastfeed, suggestions for nursing include wearing a mask and washing your hands before holding and feeding your baby. Another idea is to have another caregiver give expressed breast milk from a bottle to your child.
6. Should I let my kids see their grandparents?
The elderly and those with underlying health disorders are at increased risk of complications and even death due to COVID-19. Right now, we are trying to reduce the spread of this virus by social distancing and encouraging everyone to stay at home with just their immediate family as much as possible. We are recommending this because it will help decrease the spike in cases happening all at once which will over burden our health care system. Our goal is to flatten the curve instead of having a sharp rise in cases. We are all better off with cases spread out over time and ultimately less infected individuals. I don’t recommend playdates or family gatherings and I would not advise bringing your children to visit their grandparents as COVID-19 can be transmitted even before symptoms appear.
7. If I think I have been exposed to coronavirus, should I continue to be the caretaker for my kids?
If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19, you should monitor your temperature, and be on alert for symptoms such as a cough, sore throat, muscle aches, shortness of breath and congestion. Most parents likely won’t have a choice but to remain as the primary caretaker. If you are able to make alternate arrangements, that would reduce any risk. If you remain the primary caretaker, I would recommend frequent hand washing, disinfecting all surfaces you come into contact with and avoiding sharing food and towels with your children.
8. Should I cancel my kids’ routine doctor’s appointments that are booked this month?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children, particularly those under two, be seen for visits, especially if they need immunizations. Speak to your own pediatrician about how they are facilitating appointments and the new protocol they may have implemented for preventive care visits in their office.
9. Is there anything I should do to make sure my kids are being active enough while social distancing?
Try to keep your kids active, even with social distancing. It’s important to remember that kids will concentrate and sleep better at night if they have lots of exercise. I recommend an hour minimum, perhaps broken up into smaller chunks if needed. If weather permits, you can go for a walk, just be mindful to not congregate with others. At this point, I’m not recommending playgrounds. At home you can do exercise like yoga, jumping jacks and obstacle courses. There is also a lot of online programming that encourages fun movement to keep kids physically fit and active. Even building blocks and cleaning up toys counts as some activity!
10. What’s the best way to explain COVID-19 to my kids?
It’s important to explain COVID-19 to your kids in a way that will make sense and be appropriate for their age and development. It is important to give the facts and answer their questions without making them feel nervous or anxious. Let them know that it is a virus and like all viruses we can’t see it, as germs are invisible. Reiterate that it’s important to wash our hands as that helps to get rid of the virus. You can tell your children that the virus is spread by coughing and sneezing and encourage them to use a tissue or the crook of their elbow and to then immediately wash their hands. For older kids, you can explain that in order to slow down the spread of the virus, people are staying at home. You can tell them that this is not just to help your family, but to help others, especially the elderly.
11. How can I express the importance of handwashing to my kids during this time?
Handwashing is so important to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially as kids are always touching their face, nose, eyes and mouth. They learn best by example, so be a good role model and let them see you washing your hands frequently. You can make a point to show them good washing technique before meals, cooking, after the bathroom and when coming in from the outdoors. Also, let kids sing their favorite song for at least 20 seconds to make sure their hands are really clean.
*The information provided by Dr. Trachtenberg (which is in line with CDC guidelines) is accurate as of today (3/25/20), but please know that the situation is fluid and advice may change with circumstances or as new information becomes available.
This information is provided for educational purposes only. We do not accept any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, from any information or advice contained here.
