Annual Baby Buggy Walk raising awareness of infant mortality, pregnancy loss
The City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health Districtโs (Metro Health) Healthy Start program is hosting the 10th Annual Baby Buggy Walk and Health Expo this Saturday to raise awareness about infant mortality and pregnancy loss.
CDCโs urgent warning confirms San Antonio doctorsโ concern for unvaccinated pregnant women
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is pushing even harder for unvaccinated pregnant women to get their COVID-19 shot due to the severe health risks the delta variant may impose on them and their unborn children.
KSAT couple suffers miscarriage during COVID-19 pandemic, opens up to break stigma
For months, KSAT has been covering topics surrounding pregnancy and infertility during the pandemic. Those stories inspired a member of the KSAT family to come forward with his experience with miscarriage during the pandemic.
Pregnant women share their experiences, questions ahead of KSATโs โPregnancy and Infertility in a Pandemicโ town hall
SAN ANTONIO โ For a couple of weeks, KSAT has asked viewers for their questions about being pregnant during this pandemic. Abigail Vega Keller is 16 weeks pregnant with her first child and feels grateful for many things, including the first trimester without morning sickness. Many KSAT viewers have those same questions about hospital protocols for visitors during delivery. Ramsey said the major San Antonio hospital systems stay in touch and have mainly the same protocols. If you have any questions for our panel of experts, you can still submit them now below:
Pandemic fuels stress for families dealing with infertility; support widely available
AdโWhile before you could meet in person with people in support groups, now itโs not possible anymore, so youโve become even more isolated. Strano Burton is a fertility coach and licensed counselor who, in her spare time, runs multiple free infertility support groups, including one specifically for Black, indigenous and people of color. AdโIn our support groups, we discuss our worries our anxieties, but we also discuss, โWhat are ways we can become more educated? โYouโre definitely not alone.โHernandez will be a guest Wednesday during the livestream town hall called Pregnancy and Infertility During a Pandemic. If you have any questions for the panel of experts, submit them below:ALSO ON KSAT.COM:Pregnancy in a pandemic: KSAT anchor Courtney Friedman has a big announcement
KSAT Town Hall: Your questions answered about pregnancy, infertility during the pandemic
SAN ANTONIO โ NOTE: A video of the town hall is available on demand in the video player above. KSAT anchor and reporter Courtney Friedman, who recently announced her pregnancy, spoke with a panel of four experts about COVID-19 during pregnancy, the vaccine, delivery protocols, breastfeeding, infertility, and mental health. Dr. Patrick Ramsey is the medical director for inpatient OB services at University Health and the Director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program at UT Health San Antonio. He is also the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Erin Mankus is an OB-GYN at University Health and an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Health San Antonio.
When pregnant moms get COVID-19 vaccine, can they pass protection to their baby?
Many of the questions had to do with getting the vaccine while pregnant. Some in particular asked whether on not immunity can be passed to your baby if you get the vaccine while pregnant. He, like most doctors and researchers around the world, is strongly recommending pregnant women get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. And we do know COVID-19 carries significant risks to mom and if mom doesnโt do well, baby. AdComparing the options: COVID-19 vaccine safe for pregnant womenSo, can the vaccine offer the added benefit of protecting the baby against COVID-19 as well?
Pregnancy in a pandemic: KSAT anchor Courtney Friedman has a big announcement
Itโs a dream come true to announce to a community I love, that Iโm pregnant. I have gathered so much information and have been able to personally ask the experts about these difficult choices Iโm facing. Iโm also talking to the concerned family members and friends of those who are expecting. Hopefully, that transparency will make us all feel a little more human, and a lot more at ease. Iโm excited to learn alongside you and hope to offer you that same confidence and comfort that Iโve been able to find.
Having a baby? You need a pandemic birth plan
SAN ANTONIO โ Sandy Sicular works as an emergency room doctor. โShe was very concerned, but we took all the necessary precautions,โ Sicular said. Having an adapted birth plan before, during and after delivery can ease anxiety and help the journey go more smoothly. First, pregnant women need to take extra precautions against the coronavirus in the first place. If you plan to use a doula, find out if hospital policy will allow the doula in the delivery room.
Gestational diabetes statistics during pandemic concern doctors in San Antonio, nationwide
SAN ANTONIO โ The average percentage of pregnant women in South Texas with gestational diabetes is almost three times the national average. Around the country, 7% of pregnant women are typically diagnosed with gestational diabetes. โIโve certainly seen the reports of gestational diabetes are going up. RELATED: How to manage diabetes during the pandemicAdGestational diabetes is diabetes diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy. โWe do know that women who have gestational diabetes may be at increased risk for hospitalization,โ he said.
Is the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine safe for pregnant women?
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Tuesday that it would not recommend the Moderna vaccine to pregnant women unless they are at high risk of exposure to COVID-19, but that doesnโt necessarily mean pregnant women should steer clear. KSAT asked him the following:Why did the World Health Organization announce it would not recommend the Moderna vaccine to pregnant women? RELATED: Doctors address false claim that COVID-19 vaccine causes infertility, sterilizationRamsey says the WHO had a similar stance with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Pregnant women were not part of the vaccineโs initial studies, but it was given to many health care workers, some of whom are pregnant. So when the baby is born, itโs going to have some protection against COVID-19.โRamsey says the COVID-19 vaccines do not contain the live virus.
Pregnant San Antonio doctor who treats COVID-19 patients receives vaccine after weighing health risks, benefits
SAN ANTONIO โ As Dr. Nayeli Rodulfo-Zayas, received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, all she could think about was her mother, who died from the disease in June. Rodulfo-Zayas has been treating COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. She said she did her research on how safe it was before getting the COVID-19 vaccine. I know of those side effects of patients, and those side effects scare me, of course, more than getting the vaccine,โ Rodulfo-Zayas said. The doctor says pregnant women should have a conversation with their care provider before getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Anxiety and depression during pregnancy could be harmful to your baby
According to a study by JAMA Pediatrics, a motherโs depression and anxiety from conception through the first year of the babyโs life is crucial. About 15 to 23 percent of women worldwide experience this, and the burden is greater for women who live in poverty or are teen parents. According to the study, the perinatal stage is when exposures and early life experiences may modify development. Starting from when the baby is in the womb all the way through their adolescent years. Experts suggest expecting and new mothers who are concerned about their mood should seek help from their physician and or psychologist early on.
My pandemic pregnancy: From infertility to cancer to IVF to a 20-week scare: โIt happened exactly how it was supposed toโ
When Hillary Calhounโs fertility doctor brought her in for a procedure and then a nurse called her just a few short business days later, asking her to come into the office immediately, the now-36-year-old had a hunch something wasnโt right.
Many pregnant women are testing positive for COVID-19 in San Antonio, health officials say
SAN ANTONIO More pregnant women are testing positive for COVID-19 and it turns out they usually arent aware they have the virus to begin with, health officials said. Sarah Page-Ramsey, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at UHS, said patients who test positive are generally surprised. Officials said breastfeeding is still possible after a mother has given birth and is encouraged by nurses. KSAT reached out to UHS to ask what risks are associated with pregnant women who have tested positive for COVID-19. UT Health doctors share findings regarding COVID-19, pregnancy in webinarCoronavirus puts halt on San Antonio couples plans to start a familyVirus disrupts pregnancy plans, raises anxiety and questions
Are you pregnant or trying for a baby? Everything to know as coronavirus pandemic continues
Whether youโre pregnant now or you were hoping to be in the next few months, this might feel like an overwhelming time, living through the current coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic. Time magazine recently reported that fact in an article this week about COVID-19 and how it relates to pregnant women. Yes, pregnant women are generally more susceptible to viruses, for example, the flu. Itโs true that thereโs limited information and published literature about exactly how susceptible pregnant women are to COVID-19, and the severity of infection. If youโre pregnant or had been trying for a baby, stay in even better contact with your doctor or health care provider.