Increased Number of Stillbirths, Yet Another Result of COVID-19 Lockdowns
Since the COVID-19 outbreak in March, there has been an alarming upward trend in stillbirths worldwide. Researchers believe that the reason for this is not due to the coronavirus infection itself, but due to other factors like the lack of clinical access among pregnant mothers due to pandemic restrictions as well as the fear of pregnant women to seek care due to the risk of contracting the virus at the hospital.
The assertion is based on a number of recent international reports from multiple nations including India, Nepal, England and Scotland.
According to Ashish KC, Ph.D., a perinatal epidemiologist at Sweden's Uppsala University, Nepal has made significant progress in the last 20 years when it comes to the health outcomes of women and their babies, but these last few months have deaccelerated that progress, this was reported in the global health journal The Lancet.
The number of stillbirths increased by 50 percent, from 14 per 1,000 births before the pandemic, to 21 per 1,000 by the end of May. This rate saw a spike especially during the first month of the pandemic when the residents were strictly put under quarantine.
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Ashish mentioned that even though the rate of stillbirths have increased dramatically, the overall number was unchanged during the pandemic. The reason may be because women giving birth in hospitals have halved in number, from an average of 1,261 births each week before lockdown to 651.
India also showed an increase in stillbirth rates as well as a drop in emergency pregnancy care by two-thirds—this shows that more pregnant women are giving birth outside the hospital, at home, or other non-hospital facilities.
Due to the lockdown restrictions and recommendation of avoiding non-essential medical appointments, many prenatal visits were moved online. The affected access to routine antenatal care increased the risk of missing crucial signs of symptoms that could endanger a pregnancy, such as an irregular fetal heartbeat, or preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related high blood pressure that can increase the risks of stillbirth.
What is stillbirth?
A stillbirth is the loss or death of a baby before or during delivery. Although both miscarriage and stillbirth describe the loss of pregnancy, it differs as to when the loss occurs. In the United States, a miscarriage is usually the loss of a baby before the 20th week of pregnancy, while a stillbirth is a loss that occurred after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Some of the contributing factors to stillbirth may include maternal health and her access to quality healthcare services. Stress, as well as lack of social and emotional support may also increase the risk of stillbirths.
Post-Stillbirth Mental Health
After experiencing a loss, give yourself enough time to grieve. DIfferent people grieve differently, so it is best to take your time to recover. You can express your feelings with a loved ones or consullt with a grief counselor if you are really having a hard time dealing with it.
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Sep 18, 2020 07:00 AM EDT
