What are the risks if I catch COVID-19 during pregnancy? [2/6]
So what is known about COVID 19 in pregnancy ?
When you're making the decision about whether or not to have the COVID vaccine it's important
you understand the risks to your and your baby's health, if you catch the disease as well as
thinking about the safety of the vaccine itself. Now with COVID 19 in pregnancy we know that about
two-thirds of people who test positive for COVID 19 have no symptoms at all and of the remainder
most will experience either a mild illness or perhaps a heavy flu-like illness but as
you know some will get life-threatening illness from COVID 19 particularly if
they have underlying health conditions and in pregnancy there's an increased risk of
becoming seriously unwell with COVID 19 in the third trimester.
If you have COVID 19 in pregnancy
you're twice as likely to have a stillbirth and it is twice as likely that your baby will be
born prematurely which can affect their long-term health. It's also worth remembering that
around 10 percent of people with symptomatic COVID 19 infection develop what is known as
long COVID with symptoms such as fatigue, cough, muscle pain, loss of taste and smell
reported three months later. This may impact on your well-being and pregnancy as
well as looking after your new baby..
