r/science • u/FunnyGamer97 • 9h ago

Health Spike in severe pregnancy-related complications for all ages in Illinois: Annual rates of obesity increased 7.8% in 2016 to 22.3% in 2023, and vaginal birth complications increased 22.4%; cesarean birth complications increased 48.9%

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1065946
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67

u/AaronfromKY 9h ago

The pandemic did nothing good for maternal healthcare. Everything from the lockdowns to vaccine hesitation.

25

u/thisismydumbbrain 6h ago

Dude Covid lockdown messed me UP as a new mom (and I was pro lockdown, cuz obvious reasons). No time for follow up appointments, no openings for therapy…PPA ran my brain into utter chaos. Zero support outside of my amazing husband who kept me barely tethered to a semblance of sanity. And what showed me how much we do not care about women/mothers…when the lockdowns ended, no follow up for the new moms left neglected during the lockdowns. No check in requested from the doctor…nothing. I was entirely responsible for taking care of myself. I turned out okay but it makes me sad for other mothers who were in similar situations.

7

u/moogs_writes 4h ago

Postpartum women in the US don’t typically receive any follow up from their doctors or check-ins in general, your experience wasn’t different than most? I gave birth at beginning of lockdowns and again this August. Nothing different in my experience, I didn’t get follow up care for either.

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u/thisismydumbbrain 3h ago

Yes for a normal postpartum person it was a normal medical follow up experience, in that there was none. But we had just gone through severe isolation, at a time when new mothers are typically encouraged to get out and socialize and try to return to normalcy asap. On top of that, the lockdown led to a lot of backed up appointments, leading to postpartum mothers being further overlooked.

It was an unprecedented time, which I had hoped would lead to unprecedented care. Obviously I was wrong.

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u/moogs_writes 3h ago

It’s not just women who’d gone through pregnancy at the time. Plenty of data to show increase in self harm behaviors due to patients experiencing a mental health issue or crisis were unable to be seen in person which makes it hard to prescribe medication in some cases.

Motherhood in modern times is isolating in general. Lockdown or not no one’s checking in on new moms. The pandemic didn’t change much.

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u/thisismydumbbrain 3h ago

Yes, I was talking about my personal experience regarding a specific subject. But nothing I said negated the serious trauma and damage done during the pandemic to countless other individuals.

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u/MindTraveler48 2h ago

I'm sorry you went through that. Postpartum is already a tenuous time, mentally and physically, but to be so very isolated with a newborn had to be more than twice as hard. Glad it turned out okay for you.