Pregnant ladies are you still going shopping

[maria860]

Hi I'm not doing my own shopping I've popped the corner shops and been so lucky with delivery's so far but half of it is usually missing but I make do.
I want to go shopping myself is it worth the risk I'm 20 weeks gone and want to get cake stuff and lamb for dinner and stuff like that what doesn't come with my shop.
Is it safe ? I've been the corner shop and feel anxious I feel people come close to you and things I try to keep my distance but it's hard.
What's your thoughts ?

36 weeks and I have been popping to the shops now and again as needed. I think as long as you observe social distancing and antibac hands etc then the risk of catching is pretty low. I feel sorry for those who are pregnant and key workers, especially those coming in to contact with the general public regularly

@Floatyboat pregnant women were advised not to go out at one stage.

As far as I'm aware, pregnant women are told to limit contact and travel. I am 32 weeks and have to go to the shops as my OH is a NHS keyworker who works very long hours / nights / 12 days in a row etc. There are no delivery slots so unless I have no choice. I'm very careful to socially distance and wash my hands but find the more this goes on the less I like going out. I figure I'm more at risk due to OH's job.

In our trust people it seems people are being told to isolate if possible from 36 weeks to avoid catching it and potentially taking it into the maternity department. My consultant said under no circumstances should I be going out until after baby is here (36 weeks, asthmatic).

@JasonPollack

Talking about health precautions is fine but doing so in a self-absorbed over dramatic tone is not necessary. Pregnancy does not affect the likelihood of catching coronavirus, just the potential severity of consequences. There are loads of threads discussing risks in specific circumstances. Do we need a thread discussing if diabetics can go shopping, and another for if asthmatics go shopping and people with an organ transplant etc? Shopping sensibly occasionally is a pretty low risk thing to do.

I haven't been since pregnant women were put into the vulnerable category.

We're lucky that we can afford to pay the higher prices to get meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, milk, butter etc delivered from local farms and farmshops. I bought flour and yeast in bulk from a wholesaler. The local cornershop are kindly delivering to us, and friends get us anything else we need.

I'm a SAHM and my husband is able to WFH, so we've been able to stick to the guidelines very strictly. I walk to my allotment most days but keep my distance from anyone else, so the only time I've had to put myself at risk is for medical appointments.

I understand that some pregnant women have no choice. But for those of us who have the option of staying safe... well it seems mad not to!

@Floatyboat Sorry, that’s just not true. Shopping is one of the riskier everyday activities because of the large number of items and surfaces that other shoppers have touched and breathed on, crossing paths with other shoppers because of the concentrated footfall in supermarkets and the interaction with till staff.

Pregnant women were told to adopt stringent social distancing for 12 weeks, five weeks ago. Few are still working in roles where they come into contact with the public, even in the NHS. Most employers have been forced to allow pregnant workers to work from home and/or work in non public-facing roles.

@ferntwist

You've expressed the risk in relative terms. Yes it is riskier than not got going shopping but the op was struggling to weigh that up against wanting to eat lamb.

The risk at the moment though, if taking precautions, is pretty low in absolute terms I suspect. Do you have any data it is risky?

@Floatyboat The virus is barely five months old. There is no data on the effects of it throughout the pregnancy stages. Therefore pregnant women have been told to be cautious.

There is, however, some data from China that shows it can cause premature birth so that's why those after 28 weeks need to self isolate

Sorry asking about risk of transmission whilst shopping. That wasn't clear of me.

I'm broadly aware of the data regarding risks if caught whilst pregnant.

Well in usa they tested supermarket shoppers and 20% had antibodies. Now obviously dont know where they caught CV. But i suspect the antibody rate is higher for them than those isolating at home.

I’m 18 weeks and haven’t done our main food shop since they included pregnant women on the vulnerable group. I know it is all unknown and probably just a precaution but given that I am able to take that precaution (as my husband can go shopping) then I’d rather keep myself as low risk as possible. I have been to the corner shop a few times in an ‘emergency’ It’s awful that many pregnant women still have to work, I don’t think that other pregnant women shouldn’t take precautions though - how would that make sense, as a show of solidarity?

Yes. We haven't been able to get a delivery slot anywhere so don't have much choice. DP has asthma so we are both technically higher risk so we've been alternating weeks.

We know about several farm shops locally that will deliver that we will use closer to due date but as I'm still 10 weeks out and we couldn't afford them for them for 12 weeks straight.

No. I haven’t been to the shops since the beginning of March. I’m 23 weeks, asthmatic and have an asthmatic DS. I’m fortunate enough to be able to work from home, as is DH. I go out for short walks with my DS and avoid contact with other people. Personal opinion but I feel it is just too risky to be going to the shops.

@jason You replied to something I said and I replied, refining my point in doing so. I have then replied further to specific points others have made. It is totally unfair to then abuse me. The op asked for our thoughts. I didn't realise you had been appointed to determine which thoughts are allowed.

I haven't since the start of lock down, my DH has been out a few times to stock up though. I'm sure its fairly safe to do so, if you follow social distancing, if you need to go.

@Floatyboat you can put your thoughts but why say it to goad on the post are you pregnant if not why comment in the first place there is always one.
Thankyou to everyone else who replies I'm glad in not just being over cautious with this.

www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/coronavirus-pregnancy/covid-19-virus-infection-and-pregnancy/#general

Unless you have other conditions pregant women are no more likely to catch it and no more likely to become very unwell than other healthy individuals.

@timeforchange123 Speaking for myself I’m not being cautious because I think I’m more likely to catch it that other people or become more unwell. I’m being cautious because we don’t know what the effect of having the virus could have on unborn babies. The virus hasn’t been around long enough for there to be a sizeable amount of data to really know anything for sure.

There is an article here by the New scientist that explains where we are at:
www.newscientist.com/article/2237352-coronavirus-what-we-know-so-far-about-risks-to-pregnancy-and-babies

@Sunshine1235 Exactly. I don't understand what some people are not getting, it's the unknown risk to baby that's keeping me in. I don't care if I'm no more vulnerable than a non pregnant woman, I want to protect my baby and if that means sending my partner for shopping to limit chances of infection, then that's what I'll do.

@maria860

There is a difference between a comment you disagree with and goading. How is what I said goading. Explain. I'm not pregnant but two people I'm close to are so I have "skin in the game". In any case lots of posts are about situations that people reply to without it directly applying to them. Eg thread about whether to go ae with sore finger.

If you wanted an echo chamber you should have said.

Well I put pregnant ladies in the title so that's a clue and as your not pregnant your opinion is irrelevant on this thread I see you just like to get peoples backs up.
If frontline workers are still having to work that's wrong in my eyes if their pregnant.
Thankyou for everyone's replies ❤️

I'm 18 weeks and haven't don't a full shop since lock down started. DH doesn't want to put me or baby at risk.

To be fair it didn't see @Floatyboat comment to be goady