BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – Catholic Health is assuring parents who are expecting that they have a protocol in place for when the mother will give birth during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are still very, very safe as an institution for someone to have their baby,” Catholic Health’s Hans Cassagnol said.
Hospitalizations across Erie County have largely stabilized in recent days. Cassagnol said there are some hospitals who have reached single-digit coronavirus patients, including two patients at Sisters of Charity Hospital, nine at Buffalo Mercy, and none at Mt. St. Mary Hospital.
Those initiatives including screening employees and patients as they enter the hospital and providing masks to all support staff. Expecting mothers will receive a test two or three days before their scheduled delivery. For those mothers who are in labor as they enter the hospital, they will receive a rapid test and be able to receive the results in about an hour.
“If you are in labor and having regular contractions, call your provider,” Pivarunas said. “Call your midwife, call your physician, and say I’m in labor. If they direct you to come into the hospital, please come in.”
Officials said only one support person will be allowed in the room with the mother as she is giving birth. That person will be in the room the entire time and is not allowed to leave. The mother will be given the option to wear a mask during birth.
The CDC recommends separating the baby from mother at birth if the mother has coronavirus. Catholic Health said they will discuss the risks involved with the mother but ultimately leave the decision to the mother about whether the baby will stay in the room with the mom.
“In our experience, moms are choosing to have the baby room in with them,” Pivarunas said. “We tell them how best to care for the baby and to make sure they decrease their risk of transmission.”
There have been about 1,800 births throughout the Catholic Health system in 2020, which is on-par with what they normally see.
Pivarunas said there have been some mothers who have tested positive for coronavirus and even an instance where a newborn was also positive for the disease.
“For the most part, babies do not get affected by this disease. Most babies do very well and just because they test positive does not mean they’re going to have that same risk of complications that other patients and adults have. We have not seen that (though) and our experience is just a handful of patients with COVID-19. For the most part, babies do well but we need to watch them closely.”