COVID exposure at 23 weeks pregnant

[cjfromauckland]

Hi MumsNetters

I'm 23 weeks pregnant, and I've been exposed to COVID. Long story short, a coworker came into work sick, and against my better judgment, I sat in a small, unventilated meeting room with him for over an hour while we worked on a project together. Found out that night that it was COVID. Honestly, it hadn't crossed my mind that it might be COVID, because I'm so used to people testing when they feel unwell, and staying home if +ve. Here, the restrictions have now been lifted, so I guess people are getting lax.

Anyway, now it's just a waiting game to see if I'm going to catch it. And I've been looking at some of the latest research about increased risk of stillbirth and other adverse foetal outcomes - apparently the virus attacks the placenta, which can starve baby of nutrients and oxygen. It's pretty grim stuff, and I'm getting very nervous. Obviously, at 23 weeks, early delivery isn't really an option if the worst comes to the worst.

MumsNetters, I would very much love to hear your stories of COVID and pregnancy, especially those of you who got in at about the same gestation as I might. Desperately looking for some reassurance here.

If it's relevant, the only time I've had COVID I didn't have any respiratory issues but vomited constantly for 24 hrs.

Thanks in advance.

Love CJ

I had Covid at about 24 weeks and it was honestly fine.
I had a few days of feeling really tired and unwell, but I mostly slept through them.

Midwife's advice was to focus on staying hydrated as much as possible. They were really calm about it and said it's better to catch it now than in the 3rd trimester.
If you do get it make sure you contact your midwife/triage asap for their advice.

I was really worried, but did a lot of research and found it's quite common now for people to have had Covid during pregnancy and everything turns out ok.
You have to dig quite deep for those stories though, everything on the first few pages of google seems to be from early in the pandemic when it did seem to cause a lot of problems.

Thanks @nizo1245

All I can find online is official information and research about statistical increases in risk. I tried to find positive stories but couldn't, so I thought I'd come on here and ask!

Appreciate your help :)

@cjfromauckland

Hi! I had COVID at 16 weeks pregnant last year - felt like really bad flu for me and struggled to get out of bed for a few days then would get tired really easily for a week or so - but then had general pregnancy tiredness too which didn't help. But after that I was fine and so was my baby!

I let the midwife team know and I was sent a monitor I had to put on my finger every morning to get some kind of blood oxygen reading I think and then record on an app and that was monitored by a special team, but that was all fine. Then I had additional obstetrician appointments and growth scans throughout the rest of pregnancy. They are more concerned if you get COVID after 28 weeks, but they give growth scans as COVID can cause a lower birth weight - however they offered me induction at 39 weeks due to thinking my baby was massive 😂 he was born at exactly 40 weeks and 8lb 2oz so a really good weight, no issues at all due to the COVID, and to be honest it was nice getting the extra scans to see how he was getting on after the 20 week scan!

If you do get it just get plenty of rest and keep hydrated and just let your midwife know too, but hopefully you won't get it 🤞 good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and your baby 🤍

Hi @Proudmomma0
Thanks so much for this. As I said in my last post, I don't have a lot of friends who have been through this in the pandemic, so I'm trying to find some connections online (and so far you've all been amazing!) One day at a time, and hopefully everything will be all right!

Hi,

I caught covid 3 weeks ago at 32 weeks pregnant. I felt pretty rough (far worse than the other 2 times I've had it when not pregnant), but the baby has been absolutely fine so please try not to worry. I rang the assessment unit and they did a risk assessment over the phone to see if I would need blood thinners (I didn't) and they advised lots of rest, stay hydrated and she told me to stay away from google.

I have had extra scans which has been reassuring, and I was very anxious at the time because I'd heard it was worse to get it in the 3rd trimester, but honestly apart from feeling properly grotty for a good week or so everything is ok.

I also came into close contact with someone who went on to test positive when I was about 28 weeks and didn't catch it at that point, so you may not have got it.

I would very much recommend getting your booster if you haven't already though. I was called for mine at exactly the same time as I caught covid 😂

Hope you stay well and feel a little more reassured soon.

I was about 30 weeks. I was hospitalised (luckily only for a night) as my heart rate skyrocketed. I then developed pulmonary embolism (look up the signs for that as both pregnancy and Covid increases the risk for it) which was awful. BUT, both baby and I are fine now. He’s a happy healthy 1.5 year old, if anything he’s smarter than my eldest.

You poor thing.

I have two friends who had covid whilst pregnant. One earlier on, one right towards the end. Both were very poorly at the time but both had happy healthy babies.

Just wanted to say that hopefully you won't get it. When I was 33 week's pregnant my husband tested positive for COVID. We had obviously been sleeping in the same bed etc, so had close contact.

I isolated from him until he was negative (1 week) and neither myself nor my toddler caught it. I was also lucky to get my COVID booster jab that week, not sure if that helped. Hopefully you won't get it.

Also when I wasn't pregnant I was in exactly the same situation with a colleague and didn't catch it then either. Fingers crossed for you. It's such a strange virus as we still can't think where my husband could have picked it up x

I had covid at 20 weeks earlier this year, I'd had the pregnancy booster at 7/8 weeks. It was just a heavy cold but the fatigue that followed was unreal, I was absolutely exhausted for 3 weeks. No other ill effects though that I've noticed, and baby is thriving at 3 months old now. I'm actually hoping it may have given her some antibodies 🤞

If you do get it don't panic, and don't hesitate to contact midwife for help if you feel really unwell or are worried about baby etc. Here's hoping you just don't catch it, I've had it twice now and haven't managed to distance from my husband either time, and he didn't catch it from me, he has caught it elsewhere though! I think some people aren't as contagious as others for some reason even when they're visibly ill.

Are you fully vaccinated?

Hi OP, I hope you don't develop it. Have you received the booster?

There is some evidence that using nasal sprays like Boots First Defense (pregnancy safe) can help to fight off infection or at least help reduce viral replication, so go buy yourself some and spray your nose three times a day. Also you might want to gargle with CPC. Anything to help stop the virus replicating as much. If you develop symptoms keep doing it.

Unfortunately we can't rely on others not to come in sick. I wear an N95 at all times in indoor public spaces, I recommend you do that going ahead to avoid further infection (even if you develop it this time, which you hopefully won't, your immunity will be short-lived or non-existent against other variants).

If you do get it, inform your midwife so they can track your baby's growth as the placenta can be damaged.

I hope your colleagues have more consideration for you in future, and please do liberally open windows and maybe ask your office to invest in a HEPA air purifier for everyones safety. Don't get a Dyson, expensive and useless! Smart Air are no frills, powerful and quiet. (I don't work for them, I am however working on clean indoor air for all).

Sorry I meant Boots Dual Defence spray (first defence also works but Dual Defence has carrageenan which supposedly works to some degree against COVID)

I had covid in my third trimester, a similar situation to you where a coworker brought it in and I work closely with them! I had no symptoms except loss of taste and smell which is what led me to test in the first place. Rang the midwives and she reassured me that as long as I felt fine and baby was moving as normal, to just see it through like a flu. She said unless my symptoms get more severe I should be okay. I did indeed feel fine, and a few days later my taste and smell returned so I gathered it was gone.
They still gave me a scan for a few weeks later to check that no growth had been affected from it as apparently are still doing that (though I was third trimester so not sure if they do in second) and growth was fine with baby etc. I’m now 3 days from my due date.
Midwife said it’s very rare for covid to actually transmit through to baby and it’s more that the symptoms you experience can have an affect on baby etc

@Luxell934 Yes I have - about nine months ago now

Thanks everybody for your reassuring words - there are a few too many posts to respond to everybody here, but I really appreciate hearing a whole lot of good news stories!
For those asking, yes I'm fully vaccinated/boosted. I'm going to start wearing a mask more often as well. Fortunately, the courthouse where I spend a lot of my typical day has proper air purifiers, but my office just has regular air conditioners. They were tested, but at a time where nobody was in the building (very helpful I don't think)!
Thanks again
Love CJ

I caught it at 38 weeks I was completely fine so was baby.