It is hard to assess the number of pregnant women in Wuhan City and China as a whole who are about to give birth, but their lives have been completely disrupted by the coronavirus epidemic.
Although there is no definitive answer as to whether the novel coronavirus can transmit between pregnant women and their fetuses, a newborn baby is also at risk of being infected if the mother is confirmed infected.
Report shows Liu Yuting is tested positive for the virus. /Photo via Beijing News
As the increasing number of confirmed and suspected cases of the novel coronavirus is straining medical resources in the country, hospitals' capacity to handle pregnant women has worried many mothers-to-be, especially those in Wuhan.
"Getting a bed to be hospitalized is like winning a lottery," the Beijing News quoted the sister of coronavirus-infected woman Liu Yuting in Wuhan.
Liu was due on February 12 and was confirmed with pneumonia on January 27. Doctors suggested Liu to give birth as soon as possible; otherwise the heartbeat of the fetus will be greatly affected.
As the provincial maternal and child healthcare hospital don't accept contracted mothers, the family of Liu was getting around to find a bed for her in designated hospitals and finally got one with the help of their community staff.
Gong Lin gave birth to a baby boy at a designated hospital in Wuhan, central China. They are both in stable condition. /Photo via Beijing News
Things are same for Gong Lin, who was infected with the new coronavirus at 38-week pregnancy after her husband and mother-in-law were confirmed infection successively.
She gave birth to a 3.55-kg healthy baby a day later being admitted by a designated hospital in Wuhan on February 1.
However, it wasn't easy for Gong to find a hospital either. With only mild fever symptoms, she was rejected by general clinics and not advised to take a chest CT scan.
As hospitals in Wuhan were facing shortage of nucleic acid reagent detection kits, Gong was under great pressure in quarantine at home.
"During this hard time of the epidemic, I understand that the hospitals are overloaded. But I hope a specialized treating channel can be offered to pregnant women who are suspected or confirmed to [have the virus]," Gong said.
An coronavirus-infected mother thanks the medics and shows her confidence in fighting against the coronavirus after giving birth to a baby boy one month before her due date in Wenzhou City, eastern China's Zhejiang Province. /Photo via Zhejiang Television
Women's Federation of Hubei Province has showed concern over this issue. They promised to offer help to expectant mothers in prenatal nursing and coronavirus prevention, besides coordinating maternity wards.
According to Wang Liang, an official with the National Health Commission's Maternal and Child Health Department, some local authorities in China have designated institutions specializing in obstetrics and neonatology to deliver services to the pregnant and ensure their safety.
"The current approach regarding treatment of pregnant women confirmed to have the virus is to prioritize the safety of the mother and taking a comprehensive view of her health condition to decide whether to terminate the pregnancy," said Zhao Yangyu, head of the Obstetrics Department of Peking University Third Hospital.
Although the surgeries on infected pregnant women are extremely dangerous for both mothers and medical staff, more good news has arrived.
A mother infected with coronavirus gave birth to a healthy baby in northeastern China's Harbin City on January 30 and another baby was born prematurely by his infected mother on February 2 in eastern China's Wenzhou City.
Despite the dire situation, doctors battling the coronavirus in China are doing their utmost to bring new lives into the world.