What to Know When Making a Hospital Birth Plan as a Birth Mother in Missouri During COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic has seeped into every aspect of our lives for an entire year now. An unplanned pregnancy can be stressful and hectic enough as it is, but the pandemic adds a whole new level of stress into all of our lives on a daily basis. COVID-19 hovers over everything, from daily, mundane tasks like going out to eat or going grocery shopping, to looming over very special, once-in-a-lifetime events — like your due date!
With so much conflicting information still out there, it is hard to know what is supposedly safe and what isn’t. Sometimes it almost feels like states and businesses change their safety guidelines on a weekly basis. With all of these constantly changing rules, it can be difficult making an adoption plan during the COVID-19 pandemic. That is exactly why Adoption Choices of Missouri is here to help you navigate all of these new safety procedures while making your hospital birth plan as a birth mother in Missouri during COVID-19.
Please remember that safety measures and guidelines vary between each state, county, and hospital. Your adoption caseworker will help you to go over all of these new rules and plan your special day so that you can have the safest possible hospital birth plan for you and your baby.
The Top 4 Hospital Safety Procedures to Know when Making Your Hospital Birth Plan as a Birth Mother in Missouri During COVID-19
- Symptom Screenings. Testing and screening still play major roles in slowing the spread of the virus. When you arrive at the hospital, you will be asked some questions and have your temperature taken to screen for whether or not you have COVID-19. Don’t worry, the hospital will still admit you whether or not you have coronavirus. This simply determines what wing of the hospital you will go to and what level of care you will receive. This is because pregnant women who have contracted coronavirus will need a much higher level of care and attention than a pregnant woman who has not.
- Guest Limits. Of course, any guests or visitors you have will also be screened for symptoms when they arrive. Many hospitals will have guest limits and may only allow one visitor in your delivery room. But that doesn’t mean you can’t see all of your loved ones while you are in the hospital waiting for your delivery. Thanks to apps like ZOOM and FaceTime, you don’t have to choose between a parent or your partner. You can still see and speak with your family on your phone or tablet before you give birth in the hospital.
- Vaccines. As of March 2021, almost all of the hospital staff should be vaccinated by now. This will help to greatly reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission within the hospital. The coronavirus vaccines are even available to pregnant women. Without a vaccine, being pregnant can increase your risk for hospitalization or complications due to COVID-19. Studies by the CDC and Harvard indicate that the vaccines are safe for pregnant women, but it is perfectly understandable if you do not want to receive the vaccine just yet while pregnant. Please keep in mind that there is always a risk of side effects with any vaccine, whether or not you are pregnant. For example, you may experience a low-grade fever or mild discomfort at the injection site.
- PPE and Safety Standards. One thing has remained constant during the pandemic: as always, doctors and hospital staff are working tirelessly around the clock to ensure the safety of you and your baby. Doctors, nurses, and hospital staff have always had to deal with wearing masks and gloves while following sanitizing procedures. They are no strangers to wearing PPE, and they will continue to follow safety standards and take all of the precautions necessary in order to protect the health of you and your baby during the pandemic.
Don’t Wait to Contact Our Adoption Agency: Start Making Your Hospital Birth Plan as a Birth Mother in Missouri during COVID-19
The longer you wait to contact us, the less time you will have to begin making your pandemic hospital birth plan. It is only natural to worry over the details of your delivery plan for your big day, even during the best of times. Due to the coronavirus, there are all sorts of new rules and safety procedures set in place. That is why Adoption Choices of Missouri is here to help you make sure your birth plan follows these guidelines. We are following safety recommendations while still operating full-service for birth mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adoption Choices of Missouri serves birth parents statewide and beyond, please call us or text us to learn more! Call us toll free at 877-903-4488 or, in Missouri call or text us at 1-816-527-9800
Meet the Author: Kelly Felix is a graduate from the University of New Orleans. She holds a BA in English as well as a BA in Sociology. Her English concentration is in journalism, and her specialties in sociology are gender studies and environmental sociology.
When she isn’t voraciously guzzling coffee or devouring books, Kelly can be found either bent over a canvas working on her art or at her computer playing video games. She has hands-on classroom teaching experience from her time working as a substitute teacher for Kelly Services. Kelly also completed an in-house editorial internship at Pelican Publishing Company, and she finished the goal internship program at Green Light New Orleans. Kelly generally exists in a state of suspended disbelief, but when she’s not there she resides in New Orleans.