COVID-19 OB safety measures

Keeping expecting moms safe during the COVID-19 crisis

Adventist Health is dedicated to the health of expecting mothers and babies. A vital part of staying healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic is staying informed.

Your safety is our top priority

If you are planning to give birth in our hospital, we want to reassure you that we are taking every possible precaution for the safety of you and your baby.

To ensure the safety of you, your baby and our caregivers, we are taking extra steps to protect you:

You and your visitor will be screened upon entry and again during your stay.
You and your visitor will be provided a face masks that you will be required to wear whenever a healthcare provider is in your room.
Our providers are required to wear face masks and face shields.
Common areas of our sites of care are disinfected frequently and thoroughly.

Reach out to your provider if you have any questions about our safety precautions.

Visitor restrictions

In order to protect you and your baby, we have temporary visitor restrictions in place for labor and delivery, maternity and the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, we’re limiting the number of visitors allowed during and after your baby’s birth. At this time, mothers can have one healthy adult stay during labor, delivery and postpartum. The visitor must stay and not leave for the duration of the stay. For example, dad can’t go home and then have grandma take his place. Likewise, the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) will only allow parents or assigned guardians.

Any visitor showing symptoms of COVID-19 or those who do not pass the screening will be asked to leave the hospital.

These changes to our visitation policy will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases and protect the health of all our patients and caregivers. We understand that this is frustrating and inconvenient, but we assure you that you and your family will have proper support while these restrictions are in place.

After your baby is born

We understand that you’ll probably have just as many questions after delivery as you did before. Below are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

Newborn risk and COVID-19

Babies are a high-risk group for infectious diseases of all kinds, not just COVID-19. Rest assured that your newborn will receive that same exceptional care at our hospital to keep them healthy – in addition to the extra precautions in place during this situation.

Since COVID-19 is a novel disease, there isn’t a lot of research on how it may affect pregnancies. There’s currently no evidence to suggest that an infected mother would give birth to an infected child.

Breastfeeding and COVID-19

There’s currently no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 can be transmitted through breast milk. If you suspect that you’re developing symptoms of COVID-19, you may still breastfeed taking precautions including handwashing and wearing a mask when you feed your baby. Keep your baby at least 6 feet away when not feeding. You can also pump and have a healthy family member feed your baby if you're not feeling well enough to feed.

Visitors from friend and family after you go home

Even people who don’t show symptoms of COVID-19 may carry the disease and can pass it along to you and your family. To keep your newborn as safe as possible, it’s in your best interest to hold virtual visitation. That way, your loved ones can meet your newest addition without exposing your baby to risk.

Skin-to-skin contact and COVID-19

The safety and health of our moms, babies and families remain our highest priority during this time. We continue to follow recommendations provided by Center for Disease Control(CDC) on infection prevention and control guidance. Early and close contact between mother and baby has many well-established benefits. The ideal setting for care of a healthy, term baby while in the hospital is in the mother's room. Current evidence suggests the risk of a baby acquiring COVID-19 from its mother is low. Further, data suggests that there is no difference in risk of COVID-19 infection to the baby whether a baby is cared for in a separate room or remains in the mother's room.

If no other healthy adult is present in the room to care for the baby, a mother who is COVID-19 positive or has been experiencing symptoms should put on a face mask and practice hand hygiene before each feeding and other close contact with her newborn. The face mask should remain in place during all contact with the newborn.

Separation should only be done as a joint decision between mother and health care providers if deemed necessary.

Protecting your baby at home

Once you and your baby baby are home, any members of the family who are sick should remain separate from the baby and follow home isolation precautions. If the mother is feeling unwell, another healthy adult in the household should care for the baby. Mother may still breastfeed after washing hands and while wearing a mask or the baby may be fed expressed breast milk by a healthy adult. Home isolation and separation precautions should continue until the unwell individual has been symptom free for 7-10 days and/or without fever for 72 hours without taking medication to reduce fever. If the mother is feeling unwell and another caretaker is not available, the mother should cover her nose and mouth with a face mask or a scarf and practice hand hygiene before each interaction.