Women who see a health care professional early and regularly during their pregnancy have healthier babies. They also are less likely to deliver their babies too early and are less likely to have other serious problems related to pregnancy.
Get care during your pregnancy to increase your chance of having a safe pregnancy and giving your baby a healthy start. Call a Fairfax County Health Department clinic to make an appointment and learn more about maternal and child health services for residents of Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church.
Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and Caring for Newborns During COVID-19
Based on what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) knows at this time, pregnant and recently pregnant people are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared with nonpregnant people. Pregnant people are more likely to be hospitalized and require critical care including ventilation and admission to the intense care unit. COVID-19 during pregnancy also increases the risk for preterm birth of the infants.
Current recommendations for pregnant people include:
- Take precautions to prevent getting COVID-19, including limiting in-person interactions with people who might have been exposed to or who might be infected with COVID-19 (including people within your household), avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, washing hands often and wearing a mask.
- Seek care immediately if you have a medical emergency.
- Do not skip prenatal care appointments.
- Get the recommended vaccines during pregnancy, including a flu shot and a whooping cough (Tdap) shot, to help protect you and your baby.
Information about COVID-19 Vaccines
If you are pregnant, COVID-19 vaccination is recommended. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), CDC, and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) now recommend vaccination based on new evidence on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
Evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy has been growing. Here are some important things to know:
- Data suggest that the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy. New findings from CDC’s v-safe pregnancy registry suggest that receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine during early pregnancy does not increase the risk for miscarriage.
- Getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy can protect you from severe illness from COVID-19.
- Safety monitoring systems are in place to gather information about COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy.
- You can get any of the COVID-19 vaccines. Women aged under 50 years should be aware of the rare risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after receipt of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine and the availability of other FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccines (i.e., mRNA vaccines). Read more.
- If you are deciding whether to get a COVID-19 vaccine, consider your COVID-19 risks, the benefits, and what we know about its safety. Talking with your healthcare provider might help, but is not required. You can also call the Health Department’s COVID-19 information line at 703-267-3511 or MotherToBaby at 1-866-626-6847.
- Consider participating in the V-safe pregnancy registry.
- Learn more: COVID-19 Vaccines While Pregnant or Breastfeeding
If you are lactating, COVID-19 vaccination is recommended.
- Clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccines did not include people who are breastfeeding, so there is limited data available on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in lactating people and the effects of vaccination on the breastfed baby, milk production or excretion. Based on how these vaccines work in the body, COVID-19 vaccines are thought not to be a risk to lactating people or their breastfeeding babies.
- Recent reports have shown that breastfeeding people who have received COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have antibodies in their breastmilk, which could help protect their babies. More data are needed to determine what protection these antibodies may provide to the baby.
- You can get any of the COVID-19 vaccines. Women aged under 50 years should be aware of the rare risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after receipt of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine and the availability of other FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccines (i.e., mRNA vaccines). Read more.
- Learn more: COVID-19 Vaccines While Pregnant or Breastfeeding
If you are trying to become pregnant now or want to get pregnant in the future, COVID-19 vaccination is recommended.
- There is currently no evidence that antibodies made following COVID-19 vaccination or that vaccine ingredients would cause any problems with becoming pregnant now or in the future. Many people have become pregnant after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, including some who got vaccinated during COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.
- COVID-19 vaccination is also recommended for partners of people who would like to get pregnant. Currently no evidence shows that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause male fertility problems.
- Learn more: People Who Would Like to Have a Baby
Learn more from the CDC:
Pregnant and Recently Pregnant People
Breastfeeding and Caring for Newborns
Maternal Health Services
- Pregnancy testing.
- Public Health Assessments for pregnant women.
- Prenatal care provided in partnership with Inova Cares Clinic for Women for pregnant residents who meet the required low income level and have no other way to get care. Complete the Maternity On-Line Medical Referral Services (MOMS) eligibility form to apply for prenatal care services. Fees for services are based on income.
- Immunizations.
- Home visiting.
- Tuberculosis testing.
- Nutrition services through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
- Dental care for pregnant women who receive prenatal care through the partnership with Inova Cares Clinic for Women.
- Family planning:
- Virginia’s free Plan First family planning program.
- Community Health Care Network (CHCN) family planning walk-in clinic.
Child Health Services
- Child safety seat classes and free seats for low-income families.
- Immunizations.
- See the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended immunization schedules for infants and children in English and Spanish.
- Home visiting.
- Nutrition services through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
- Speech and hearing.
- Dental care.
Home Visiting Services for Women and Infants
Public health nurses provide home visiting services to women during and after pregnancy and to infants through the Healthy Families Fairfax program, the Nurse-Family Partnership program and the Health Department's Maternal and Child Health Field Program. Services include:
- Pregnancy support and education.
- After-pregnancy follow-up.
- Assessment and support for depression and intimate partner violence.
- Parenting skills and parent-child bonding support.
- Child development delay checks.
Call the Family Resources Referral Line at 703-246-8450 for more information about home visits.
You also can fill out and return the Family Resources Service community referral form to have a staff member contact you about home visiting services.
