A total of 255 babies were born at Hospital da Luz Lisboa, in March 2020. The largest number of deliveries in one month, since the hospital opened its doors. For the babies and mothers, the world keeps moving, despite COVID-19 . It is a joy and a privilege to continue to witness the miracle of life, say the Hospital da Luz Lisboa professionals. In fact, the delivery unit from Hospital da Luz Lisboa registered, in March this year, 255 births, a monthly record number since its opening, in 2007. This month of March the number of births increased 18%, compared to last year. The previous births record in the maternity unit of Hospital da Luz Lisboa was registered in July 2019 (254 babies). In the present situation of fear and uncertainty generated by the COVID-19 pandemics, this record is, first of all, “a sign of hope” for everyone, as stresses Paula Arteaga , the coordinator of the Delivery and Obstetrics Unit from Hospital da Luz Lisboa. The specialist points out two main motifs for such number in March: the permission given to pregnant women to maintain an accompanying person and the safety of the procedures. “We have had many pregnant women who preferred our maternity to others, public or private, because we maintained the possibility of having an accompanying person during delivery. This is because we adopted special safety rules which allow the accompanying person to be with the pregnant woman until discharge, with naturally restricted mobility. The question of safety also weights, when it comes to choose our maternity: we have well defined and controlled circuits in the hospital so that mothers, accompanying person and health professionals live each birth in compete safety. We even have an independent circuit dedicated to mothers who test positive for COVID-19 or have a suspicious clinical picture”, explains Paula Arteaga. The coordinator of the Delivery Unit from Hospital da Luz Lisboa reveals, on the other hand, that the unit is receiving many women in early pregnancy, with many births expected in November – noting here a growth trend indicating that there will actually be a phenomenon of “quarantine babies”. In the photo above, from left do right, Helena Vieira (nurse), Teresa Durães (management centre), Vera Ponte and Laura Fernandes (nurses), Nuno Mendonça (administrative officer), Rute Matos (nursing director of the delivery unit), Leonor Santos (gynecologist) and Paula Arteaga .
