Introducing Your Newborn During the Pandemic

If you’re allowing visitors to meet your newborn during the coronavirus pandemic, follow these safety guidelines.

BY WHITNEY C. HARRIS Whitney C. Harris is on NYMetroParents editorial staff. She lives in Sleepy Hollow, NY, with her husband, a toddler, and a dog.

Bringing a baby home used to mean a flood of visitors with frozen lasagnas, where the only precaution typically taken was washing hands with soap and water. With COVID-19 remaining a very real concern, parents welcoming a newborn are now having to determine what’s safe and what’s smart when it comes to allowing extended family to visit during the pandemic. To get specific guidance, we chatted with three doctors for their advice on the safest ways to make newborn introductions right now.

A new baby is most vulnerable during its first six weeks of life. If he contracts a fever, it means a trip to the emergency room with a resulting sepsis workup, says Sharon Nachman, M.D., chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. “We often tell families to restrict visiting during those weeks,” she says. The key idea is cohorting: It’s better to visit with a small cohort for a long time than a large cohort for a short time, Dr. Nachman says. In other words, keep your circle as tight as possible.

When you’re thinking about who may visit, it’s also smart to be critical in determining how well your potential visitors have maintained social distancing and isolation from other potential viral carriers. Have they been working from home? Have they had groceries and goods delivered instead of going inside stores? What’s more, how likely is it that your visitors will be able to follow the measures you put in place to protect you and your baby from possible exposure, poses Dr. Jay Lovenheim, D.O., F.A.A.P. of Lovenheim Pediatrics.

It’s a good idea to consult with your OB and your baby’s pediatrician and then decide exactly when you’ll allow some visitors and what you should ask them ahead of time. When you are ready to introduce your baby, keeping visitors behind a glass window or door is a safe option. The next safest is being outside and at least 6 feet apart, Dr. Lovenheim says.

“As a pediatrician, I am as concerned about the parents as the newborn,” says Leann Poston M.D., M.B.A., M.Ed. of Invigor Medical. That means that even if you don’t allow visitors to hold the baby, you need to keep your own safety in mind. Everyone in the house or outdoor space should wear a mask, and have anyone who may touch your baby wash their hands rather than wear gloves, as gloves tend to get cross-contaminated, Dr. Poston advises.

When it comes to older siblings, you can generally relax more. As long as they’ve been practicing responsible social distancing and are not currently sick, brothers and sisters should pose no greater concern than the mother and father of the new baby, Dr. Lovenheim says. As always, just make sure kids wash their hands before being close with the baby. And if you do think your older child is sick or has had any potential COVID exposure, then have her wear a mask as well, Dr. Lovenheim advises.

Dr. Poston agrees that restrictions aren’t necessary for people living in the same home. “They are all going to be exposed to the same germs anyway “Having friends and family around us and the psychological impacts would who help us cope and who we lean on probably outweigh any physical risks,” when things get tough is important,” she adds. Dr. Lovenheim says. “It may be the

“It’s important for siblings to interact difference in a new mother succumbing with the newborn,” Dr. Nachman says. to postpartum depression or not.” “You don’t want them to feel like the baby is a special prize that they can’t IS MY BABY SICK? touch.” But with the New York metro There have been very few reported area in phases 1 and 2 of reopening and severe COVID illnesses in this age day camps getting the greenlight, it’s group, but if you’re worried that your extra important to cut down on risk as newborn may have contracted the virus, much as possible. Help young children the symptoms to watch for include interact safely with the baby. Show them shortness of breath, runny nose, fever, how to touch the baby’s feet instead of extreme fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, and hands. an inability to eat, Dr. Poston says. IS HAVING VISITORS WORTH IT? that goes for any symptoms in your

While coronavirus isn’t going away newborn that worry you. Infants younger anytime soon, it’s a small relief to see than 3 months are at increased risk that cases of COVID-19 are not spiking for sepsis, an overwhelming infection in most parts of New York. You are because of their immature immune likely already spending time with friends systems, Dr. Poston warns. and family again in small groups. This is especially true if you have visitors coming from a place where the viral prevalence is relatively low, he adds.

When determining whether a visit is worth it for your family, consider any factors that may place you or your new baby in a higher risk category, Dr. Lovenheim urges. This might include low birth weight, neurological disorders, or respiratory difficulties for the baby, or being immunocompromised for COVID-19 NEWBORN SAFETY FAST FACTS the parent. In such cases, a virtual introduction is probably best. If you weigh the risks versus the benefits and decide to have visitors, you stand to benefit a great deal emotionally and psychologically. Having a baby is wonderful, but it’s also incredibly stressful, no matter • Wait 6 weeks before allowing visitors • Limit visitors to as few as possible • Have the visit take place outside, if possible • Have visitors wash their hands before, during, and after they visit • Maintain a social distance of 6 feet • Everyone wears a face mask what your circumstances may be. When in doubt, call your doctor. And