Coronavirus isn’t going away. It’s been almost two years since the virus became the misery of our existence. According to new studies, the virus is also hurting unborn newborns. Six-week-old babies delivered to COVID-19 infected women had neurodevelopmental consequences, according to researchers. When compared to newborns delivered to uninfected mothers, these babies had more difficulty relaxing and adjusting their bodies when being handled.
The study, presented at the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry in Budapest, also revealed that children delivered to infected moms had severe trouble regulating their shoulder and head motions. This shows that Covid has an effect on motor functioning in particular. Dr. Rosa Ayesa Arriola of Spain’s Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital, on the other hand, pointed out that not all newborns have neurodevelopmental abnormalities.
Our results reveal that their risk is higher in comparison to individuals who were not exposed to Covid during pregnancy. A larger investigation is required to confirm the actual magnitude of the difference’. The first research compared 21 children born to COVID-19-infected moms to 21 infants born to healthy mothers. Mothers were required to complete a battery of examinations, including biochemical testing and psychological questionnaires throughout and after pregnancy, as part of the test.
NBAS, or Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale, was also administered post-natally to assess the baby’s mobility and behavior. ‘ Certain components of the NBAS measurement were altered in 6-week-old newborns exposed to the SARS-COV-2 virus. They react slightly differently to being hugged or caressed’, explained Agueda Castro Quintas of the University of Barcelona.
Dr. Livio Provenzi, another member of the research team, emphasized the need and necessity for more research into the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 on parents and newborns. ‘Pregnancy is a stage of life that influences much of our subsequent development, and suffering during pregnancy can leave long-lasting biological traces’.
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