Around the world, May is a time to celebrate mothers and the health workers who help them enter motherhood. Dozens of countries observe Mother’s Day in May and, on 5 May, the International Day of the Midwife honours the life-saving work of midwives everywhere.
Yet this May, as the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps through the world, these celebrations arrive on a sombre note. With health systems stretched, movement restrictions in place and concerns about disease exposure in health-care settings, mothers and midwives are risking their own health and lives to bring new life into the world.
Pregnant in a pandemic
Interviews with expectant mothers around the world show that pregnant women are living in a kind of limbo, suspended between hope and fear.
“I wasn’t worried about going into labour, or concerned about which hospital I chose, but now everything changed,” said Reem Salama, 27, in Egypt.
“Coronavirus ruined all my plans,” she continued. “Now, I have to be careful which hospital I choose and make sure no cases were reported there.” She has stopped receiving antenatal check-ups because COVID-19 cases were reported in the village where her doctor is located. Instead, she speaks to health workers by phone.
There is currently no evidence that pregnant women are at any more risk of infection with COVID-19 than the general population, and there is currently no evidence that the virus increases risk of miscarriage. Yet the impacts on health systems could very well imperil women.
The pandemic is limiting sexual and reproductive health services around the world. In many places, health resources are being diverted to pandemic response. In addition, women report being reluctant to seek care from health facilities for fear of exposure to the virus, or they face barriers to health care due to lockdown-related restrictions.
As access to skilled, quality maternal health care goes down, risks to mothers and their newborns go up.
