Staying Healthy During and After Your Pregnancy

Keep all of your healthcare appointments during and after pregnancy. Visit with your healthcare provider for all recommended appointments. If you’re concerned about going to your appointments in person because of COVID-19, ask your healthcare professional what steps they are taking to protect patients from COVID-19, or ask about telemedicine options. If you need help finding a healthcare professional, contact your nearest hospital clinic, community health center or health department.
Talk to your healthcare professional about how to stay healthy and take care of yourself and the baby.
Ask questions you have about the best place to deliver your baby. Delivering a baby is always safest under the care of trained healthcare professionals.
You should also talk to your healthcare professional if you think you are experiencing depression during or after pregnancy.
Get recommended vaccines during pregnancy. These vaccines can help protect you and your baby.
Get a flu vaccine every year. Others living in your household should also get vaccinated to protect themselves and you.
Get the Tdap vaccine to protect your baby against whooping cough, which can have similar symptoms to COVID-19. CDC recommends all women receive a Tdap vaccine during each pregnancy. In addition, everyone who is around the baby should be up to date with their whooping cough vaccine.
Call your healthcare professional if you have any concerns about your pregnancy, if you get sick, or if you think that you may have COVID-19.
Do not delay getting emergency care because of worries about getting COVID-19. Emergency departments have steps in place to protect you from getting COVID-19 if you need medical care. If you need emergency help, call 911 right away.
Tell them that you are pregnant or were recently pregnant and are having an emergency. If someone else is driving to the emergency department, call while you are on the way. If you must drive yourself, call before you start driving.
Seek medical care immediately if you experience any urgent maternal warning signs and symptoms (for example, headache that won’t go away, dizziness, fever, severe swelling of hand, face, arm or leg, trouble breathing, chest pain or fast-beating heart, severe nausea and throwing up, or vaginal bleeding or discharge during or after pregnancy). These symptoms could indicate a potentially life-threatening complication.
If You Are Sick or Think You Were Exposed to COVID-19
If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, contact your healthcare professional within 24 hours, and follow steps for when you feel sick.
If you or someone you know has COVID-19 emergency warning signs (for example, trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone), call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility.
Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.
If you think you might have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, contact your healthcare provider. If you don’t have a healthcare provider, contact your nearest community health center or health department.
If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, learn about breastfeeding and caring for newborns when the mother has COVID-19. Current evidence suggests that breast milk is not likely to spread the virus to babies. Read information about breastfeeding and caring for newborns.
Reducing Your Risk of Getting COVID-19 If You Are Not Fully Vaccinated
It is especially important for pregnant and recently pregnant people, and those who live or visit with them, to take steps to protect themselves and others from getting COVID-19.
There may be no way to have zero risk of infection, so it is important to know how to be as safe as possible. Consider your own personal situation and the risk for you, your family, and your community when deciding whether to go out or to interact with people who do not live with you. Ensure you and the people who live or visit with you are taking steps to protect yourself and others.
The best ways to protect yourself and to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 are to:
Consider getting a COVID-19 vaccine for yourself and for others who live with you. Everyone age 12 years or older is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk with your healthcare professional if you have questions about getting vaccinated.
CDC has updated recommendations for fully vaccinated people. If you are fully vaccinated, see CDC’s page When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated.
Limit in-person interactions with people who might have been exposed to COVID-19, including people within your household, as much as possible. If you or someone in your household is sick with COVID-19, follow guidance for isolation.
If you are not fully vaccinated and aged 2 or older, you should wear a mask in indoor public places.
In general, you do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings.
In areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.
People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken their immune system may NOT be protected even if they are fully vaccinated. They should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people, including wearing a well-fitted mask, until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider.
If you are fully vaccinated, see When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated.
Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.
Wash your hands. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Then wash your hands.
Clean frequently touched surfaces daily using household cleaners, such as soap or detergent.
Keep at least a 30-day supply of prescription and nonprescription medicines. Talk to your healthcare professional, insurer, or pharmacist about getting an extra supply (for example, more than 30 days) of prescription medicines, if possible, to reduce trips to the pharmacy.
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