As the tulips are blooming and small green leaf buds are on the trees, we see new life all around us.  Soon, we will also see small spotted fawns in town and neighboring woods, as well as ducklings and goslings at the ponds.  CVH has started to feel the excitement of new birth with our own spring baby boom!  We have had quite a few spring babies born already, and there are still quite a few on the way.  We want to celebrate this joyful time of new life in our community and appreciate the blessings it brings.  We want everyone to stay safe and healthy in order to bring healthy new lives into the world.  We have changed our visitor’s policy at CVH to allow for two visitors or support persons to be with mom while in labor and to visit after birth.   We hope this will allow family to feel more a part of the birth experience and allow women to enjoy the support they desire.  The providers at CVH provide full spectrum obstetrics, delivering first and subsequent babies, healthy and high risk patients, and can provide cesarean delivery if needed.  We have multiple family practice and fellowship trained providers available to take care of you depending on what level of care you need, and most of the time we are able to deliver the patient’s we have cared for through their pregnancy, which is the benefit of having a small town doctor.

Although pregnant women are usually a low risk population of healthy young women, we do not want moms or babies getting sick with COVID-19, so to avoid any chances with these fragile young lives, the best thing to do is to prevent infection in mom.  A pregnant mom who gets sick from COVID-19 can go into preterm labor as a complication of the illness, creating complications in the newborn if born premature.   To avoid maternal infection means being diligent about washing hands, avoid being around other friends and family indoors or in close proximity without a mask unless they are all vaccinated, and consider a COVID vaccine.  We have been giving COVID vaccines to pregnant woman with no problems, especially those in high risk work environments, but it is a personal decision for the mom to make as we currently do not have the research studies yet to support the safety of the vaccine in pregnancy.  Based on the type of vaccines we have and the way they work, there is no reason to suspect any risks or increased side effects of the vaccine while women are pregnant, and we have not seen any problems in the women who have received the vaccine so far both locally and nationally.  If you are pregnant, please talk to your doctor and see if the COVID vaccine would be a good decision for you.

As you are preparing your life and home for that new little bundle, it is a tradition to have a baby shower to celebrate with family and friends at this special time.  If you are planning a baby shower, we encourage you to do this safely by following the CDC recommendations.  Be sure to encourage soon to be dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles to get their COVID vaccine to keep the newborn safe and healthy.  Luckily, the incidence of COVID has gone way down in our community and region, reducing the risk of being exposed to this illness.  We have had great success with our vaccination rates in the community, especially those over age 65.  We are struggling more to get younger people in for their vaccinations, likely because they know they are at a lower risk if they are infected.  Please remember that the virus has not gone away entirely, and we do want everyone vaccinated in order to be done with this pandemic and to avoid any more health complications or lives lost.  There are tremendous benefits of being vaccinated, we know you will not be at risk of any serious illness or death, and you can socialize and travel without the fear of illness, or of sharing the illness with someone else.   At this time you can chose between the Moderna two shot vaccine or the Johnson and Johnson one shot vaccine if you have a preference.  We have openings in the clinic for a COVID vaccine within one week, so please call today to make your appointment.