OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — AdventHealth Shawnee Mission's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit usually has more than 20 premature babies at a time, but doctors and nurses were shocked to be caring for nine in May.
"I don't think anybody had any idea that being quarantined or having COVID out there would affect birth rates and premature births," Dr. Jodi Jackson, the medical director of the hospital's NICU, said.
But that's exactly what Jackson said the data shows.
Premature births were down 60% during the COVID-19 shutdown from March through May.
Normally, the hospital averages 10 premature births a month. There were only five premature births in March, four in April and two in May.
"One thing could be the women are staying home and resting and not getting out, and that's better for them and their baby," Jackson said. "If women are home, they're not being exposed to other things that could cause premature delivery."
Interestingly, Jackson said, the NICU numbers increased once quarantine orders eased up. The NICU was caring for 26 babies as of Thursday.
Jackson said she noticed studies out of Denmark and Ireland showing drastic decreases in premature births during COVID-19 shutdowns, a phenomenon other U.S. hospitals also are reporting.
AdventHealth Shawnee Mission is working with other local hospitals — including Children's Mercy Hospital, where Jackson is a neonatologist, along with St. Luke's Hospital and Overland Park Regional Medical Center — to put together a registry to better track the data.
The drop in numbers also could be attributed to women feeling reluctant to go to their checkups and pregnancy issues that weren't being detected.
"Maybe some women weren't being monitored as quickly," she said. "They weren't being induced earlier."
The Wyandotte Pregnancy Clinic also said it's seen the effects of COVID-19.
"A lot of people have lost their jobs and the fears associated with COVID, and so we're encouraging people to stay home more," Leah Conner, executive director of the Wyandotte Pregnancy Clinic, said
Supporting mothers throughout their pregnancy is vital all the time, but it could prove to be life-changing during this pandemic.
"The support is big," Conner said. "We also offer classes that we're now able to live stream. Usually, we do them in-person, but a lot of our classes are related to prenatal development, healthy lifestyles, those things."
Jackson said there's still a lot to learn, but this data could be groundbreaking in figuring out how to decrease premature births.
"If the remedy is to stay home for a month before you're due, or two months or three months, that may be something to consider, but for a lot of people that's not an option," Jackson said.
She said expectant mothers shouldn't be reluctant to come to the doctor during the pandemic.
"The hospital is the safest place to be right now," Jackson said.
