On April 6, a mother lost her child after testing positive for COVID-19. According to The Advocate, after the expectant mom contracted the coronavirus, her severe symptoms forced her into premature labor.
As The Advocate reports, the baby girl’s death has raised many questions about how the coronavirus affects expectant mothers and their unborn child. In March, a small study was published that suggests expectant mothers who are positive for COVID-19 may not be able to pass the virus onto their unborn children, based on a small sample size.
RELATED: First United States Baby Less Than a Year Old Dies After Testing Positive for COVID-19
However, while mothers may not pass the virus onto their unborn baby, that’s not to say the mother’s symptoms can’t affect their fetus’s overall health. According to investigators, while the autopsy results are still pending, The Advocate reports that it was concluded that the baby girl’s passing “was the direct result of her mother’s coronavirus diagnosis, which caused her to deliver the child.”
According to East Baton Rouge Coroner Dr. Beau Clark, the expectant mother’s symptoms included shortness of breath and fever. “She ultimately ended up having to be placed on the ventilator because of the profound nature of the shortness of breath and has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Unfortunately, she went into preterm labor and ultimately delivered the baby prematurely. And in doing so, the baby, because of the extreme prematurity, did not survive.”
Premature Newborn Passes Away After Mom’s Severe COVID-19 Symptoms Force Her Into Early Labor
Clark clarified that the deceased child did not test positive for COVID-19 but that it was determined her death will be considered virus related. According to Clark, “had [the mother] not been COVID-19 positive, had not required ventilatory support, had not had the shortness of breath and the hypoxia that is associated with the virus, likely she would not have gone into preterm labor and there would have been a different outcome.”
The coroner revealed that the unnamed mother as just shy of 22 weeks along in her pregnancy. Clark also added in his statement that while the mother remains on a ventilator, she is alive. He described the events that transpired on April 6, “a very tragic case.”
RELATED: Small Study Shows Pregnant Women May Not Pass COVID-19 on to Their Unborn Babies
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of April 17, the total number of COVID-19 cases has reached, 632,548 with 632,220 of those cases confirmed and 348 probable. The total number of deaths as a result of COVID-19 has reached 31,071 with 26,930 of those deaths confirmed and 4,141 of them probable.