As for unborn babies, doctors are said to be looking into whether the newborn diagnosed this weekend caught the virus before they were born or afterwards.
According to guidelines from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the UK, pregnant women "do not appear to be more severely unwell if they develop coronavirus than the general population". However, because the virus is relatively new it's still unclear exactly what effect it might have on a pregnant woman's health.
"It is expected the large majority of pregnant women will experience only mild or moderate cold/flu-like symptoms," the RCOG says.
But for now, the RCOG says, there is "no evidence that the virus can pass to your developing baby while you are pregnant, it is therefore considered unlikely that if you have the virus it will cause abnormalities in your baby".
And if you are diagnosed with the coronavirus, you'll still be able to breastfeed, as there's no evidence the virus can be passed on through breast milk. However, you should avoid coughing while doing so, and wash your hands before and after feeding. Naturally, this has sparked a lot of concern among pregnant women and mothers of young children.
"It is expected the large majority of pregnant women will experience only mild or moderate cold/flu-like symptoms," the RCOG says.
But for now, the RCOG says, there is "no evidence that the virus can pass to your developing baby while you are pregnant, it is therefore considered unlikely that if you have the virus it will cause abnormalities in your baby".
And if you are diagnosed with the coronavirus, you'll still be able to breastfeed, as there's no evidence the virus can be passed on through breast milk. However, you should avoid coughing while doing so, and wash your hands before and after feeding. Naturally, this has sparked a lot of concern among pregnant women and mothers of young children.
