Due to infection control measures against corona misfortune ... February 1, 17:01

"I couldn't tell anyone how I felt, and even now, just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

" "Feeling empty"

The spread of the new coronavirus has had a major impact on childbirth sites, and when pregnant women are infected, there have been many cases of caesarean sections being performed for the reason of infection control.

It is not uncommon for mothers to be shocked by not being able to see their children in order to prevent the infection from spreading to their babies.

What should I do before the transition to "Type 5"?

Based on the voice of the parties concerned.

(Osaka Broadcasting Station Reporter Hikari Kitamori)

Crying on the operating table...

“I will have a caesarean section due to corona infection,”

Mutsumi Ito, who lives in Tokyo, was told by her doctor in February last year, just before her expected delivery date.

In the wake of her family's infection, she was diagnosed with the infection a few days ago, but her symptoms were mild.

The course of the pregnancy was going well, and I was planning to give birth at a maternity hospital with the presence of my family.

Our eldest daughter, who is 5 years old, was also looking forward to the birth of her sister.

The day after it turned out to be positive, Ms. Ito was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Tokyo that accepts infected pregnant women, triggered by her water breaking at home, and gave birth by caesarean section.

Until now, caesarean section delivery has been performed to protect the life and health of the mother and baby, such as when the mother has an underlying disease and the burden of long delivery is heavy.

There is a risk of complications due to surgery, so whether or not to implement it is carefully considered according to the condition of the mother and the baby in the womb.

On the other hand, since the spread of the infection three years ago, there have been a number of cases of caesarean section births due to infection control reasons nationwide.

It is said that there was no detailed explanation as to why Ms. Ito had a caesarean section, other than that she was infected with the new corona.

Ms. Mutsumi Ito:

"I didn't have labor pains and the progress was going well, but from the time I was transported to the operating table, I couldn't organize my mind, and I couldn't accept what was happening. I was robbed of my opportunity, and I felt very helpless."

In order to prevent infection, Ms. Ito spent time away from her baby after giving birth.

She couldn't even breastfeed, so she pumped the milk by herself and flushed it down the toilet in the hospital room.

I met the baby on the day of discharge, 8 days after the operation.

She held her baby for the first time in the elevator to the parking lot where her family waited.

Ms. Ito:

“I had no chance to interact with my baby, and I couldn’t even breastfeed.

Other voices of hurt women...

When NHK solicited opinions about the birth of the corona misfortune, the voices of the parties were received one after another.

A woman in her 30s from Osaka Prefecture,

"I was just about to put up with labor and give birth from the bottom up, so I got a positive result. The baby was fine and I endured the pain for a while, but I still can't digest it." People around me say I'm glad I was born safely,' so I can't tell anyone how I feel, and even now, just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

Another woman in her 30s

said, "Because I was infected with Corona, I was told that I could not see my child even once, and I was told that I would not be able to see my child until I was discharged from the hospital. Even now, I feel like I have a gaping heart in my heart during the 10 days I couldn't meet. feeling"

the domestic situation

Caesarean sections have been performed at many medical institutions for the reason of infection control.

The Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists investigated the situation nationwide and announced it in December 2022.

67.5% of medical institutions responded that they would "promptly carry out caesarean section for infection indication" regarding the policy of separating pregnant women infected near the time of delivery.

Even during the 7th wave, 51.3% of the cases were performed at more than half of the facilities, and many medical institutions had a policy of caesarean section for infection control.

According to the medical association and others, the background is that when accepting infected pregnant women, it is difficult to respond to childbirth while taking measures against infection at clinics with limited equipment and staff.

As a result, there are areas where the recipients are concentrated in university hospitals and hospitals with perinatal medical centers.

It is said that some of the hospitals that accept a large number of babies have decided that they have no choice but to uniformly perform caesarean sections in order to carry out a large number of deliveries while taking measures against infection.

However, it is not known whether a caesarean section will reduce the risk of infection compared to a postnatal delivery, and medical associations and other organizations have stated in their guidelines, ``There is no evidence that a caesarean section should be indicated for corona infection alone.'' Above, I would like you to consider the method of division according to the actual situation of the medical institution.

Dr. Junichi Hasegawa, Executive Director of the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, who compiled the survey,

said, "Caesarean section delivery was strictly judged in cases such as when the lives of the mother and child were involved, so we also do not want to do it for the reason of infection control. However, the reality is that some medical institutions have no choice but to choose Caesarean section in order to safely perform all the procedures. We haven't reached a point where we can say that it should be categorized as time passes."

Some places do not perform caesarean section for infection control

Some places have a policy not to perform caesarean sections as an infection control measure.

Rinku General Medical Center in Izumisano City, Osaka.

As a designated medical institution for infectious diseases, we have accepted many new corona patients, including pregnant women.

Since August 2020, the center has not performed caesarean section for the reason of infection control.

Dr. Kazuhide Ogita, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, who has played a central role in this project.

The first thing Dr. Ogita worked on was to get the cooperation of the hospital.

The center was the first in Japan to accept pregnant women infected with the "new influenza virus" in the past, and had regular training to accept pregnant women.

In addition to the know-how so far, it is said that they conducted simulations and discussed with each department how to safely implement it and gained their understanding.

What moved Dr. Ogita and the field was the words of a pregnant woman who was accepted for the first time in March 2020, at the beginning of the spread of infection.

At that time, the infectivity was not well understood, so based on reports from overseas, a caesarean section was performed.

Dr. Kazuhide Ogita, Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rinku General Medical Center

"When a mother held her baby for the first time after giving birth, she said, 'It's warm.' I wondered if it was okay for me to give birth without it.Because Caesarean section cuts the abdomen, it leaves a scar, and there is a risk of complications.After talking with various departments, I somehow managed to create an environment where I could have a baby. "

The center's policy is to "wait until labor pains come" in order to bring it closer to normal delivery.

Pregnant women who are doing well and have not had labor during the isolation period will be treated as if they were having a normal birth, such as returning to their home clinic.

On the other hand, if labor comes during the isolation period, it will be handled in a separate room reserved for infected people, doctors and midwives will wear PPE (protective clothing), and pregnant women will also wear masks.

A transparent sheet is placed between pregnant women to prevent flying eyelashes from flying.

In addition, it is a mechanism to share information in real time using tablet terminals etc. so that the condition of pregnant women can be understood even from remote maternity wards.

At the center, from March 2020, when the new corona infection spread, to 10th of this month, 187 infected pregnant women were treated.

Of these, 42 people had to be divided due to contractions during the isolation period, and nearly 90% of them have been divided.

According to Dr. Ogita, no babies or medical staff have been infected so far.

Dr. Ogita

: “I think that being able to have a normal delivery even if you are infected will give pregnant women a sense of security. I think it would be good if we could aim for normal childbirth as much as possible, and decide the method of delivery for medical reasons. I feel it."

Birth site Is it okay to stay like this?

Three years have passed since the spread of the new corona infection, and the government has announced a policy to shift the treatment under the Infectious Diseases Law to ``5''.

People's lives are gradually returning to the way they were before the corona crisis.

However, the impact of corona remains deep-rooted at the birth site.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, there is no data on how many pregnant women infected with the new coronavirus give birth, and what kind of suffering mothers who have experienced such childbirth suffer. Says.

What should I do with the site of birth in corona misfortune?

Shouldn't we listen to mothers now?

NHK will continue to report on it.

Please let us know what you think

NHK Osaka Broadcasting Station is soliciting actual experiences and opinions about childbirth challenges and childcare concerns due to the corona crisis, such as "I was sick and had a caesarean section because I was infected" and "I can't see my child who is hospitalized in the NICU."

Osaka Broadcasting Station Reporter

Hikari Kitamori

Joined the station in

2015 Currently in charge of medical care Mainly covering perinatal medical care and new corona