Many grandparents, uncles, other relatives and friends do not know close babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic , either by the limitation of hospital visits, by the duty of confinement by everyone or by other circumstances, associated or not to the pandemic. Now that we are slowly beginning to regain normalcy, everyone wants to visit babies at home . Parents, who saw their babies being born during a difficult time, have natural fears and often have difficulty dealing with all requests. Thus, it is very important that risks and rules to be adopted are known, to better manage the visit requests of all your family and friends. What should happen in a normal situation? In a normal situation, that is, before the pandemic, and for the safety of babies, visits at home, after discharge from maternity and until the vaccines of 2 months of age, should be limited to the family , especially in the first month of life. The baby and the family are adapting to a new life, the baby is particularly sensitive, and the mother has to recover. After 2 months, the baby starts to leave the house and can also receive more visits. Still, there are times of the day that must be respected: Baby meals: mealtimes are a period of interaction with the baby and there should be no other people present besides the parents and other family members who live in the same house. Baby sleep: babies sleep for long periods. It is important that they have a peaceful sleep, so interference with rest is not recommended. In the COVID-19 era, how should home visits be managed? Now, home visits should not be done until the 2-month-old vaccines . Contact with the baby should even be limited to the family that lives in the same house. This protection is a safety issue not only for the baby, it extends to everyone: The baby; Parents and the whole family living in the same house; All visits. From the vaccines of 2 months , considering the specific circumstances of the time, the first visits of the rest of the family to meet the baby can begin: Always in a more limited number, preferably one person at a time; No more than 2 or 3 visits per day and not every day; For a short time, 10 minutes per visit is sufficient; Do not forget hand hygiene and the use of a mask; Try not to carry the baby on your lap. In case of doubt, parents should contact the pediatrician or the responsible health team. What if it is an urgent visit before the 2-month vaccines? In this case it is very important to avoid: Close contact with the baby; Long stay in the same room of the house. Even without close contact, all visits must: Hand wash according to the rules: soap and water for at least 20 seconds or alcoholic solution; Wear a mask for the duration of the visit. If the visitor has any symptoms of illness, the visit should not be carried out. These advices apply generally to cases where there is or was not COVID-19 infection or suspected infection in the baby, mother, father and other family members living in the same house. All other cases must strictly follow the instructions of the respective health teams Author: Nuno Carvalho Meet the Pediatrics team of Hospital da Luz network. Click here for more information and advice of Hospital da Luz about COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavírus SARS-CoV-2 . The content published in the Health Guide is intended for the general public and is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not replace individual medical assessment, diagnosis, or personalized clinical advice from a qualified healthcare professional. The content is produced or reviewed by physicians and other healthcare professionals at Hospital da Luz and is based on the knowledge available at the time of publication or the most recent update, as indicated at the beginning of each item.
