Maternity ward management and COVID-19 pandemic: Experience of a single center in Northern Italy during lockdown.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The aim of our study is to describe the management of a maternity ward in a referral center during the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 lockdown. METHODS: This is a retrospective single-center study. We analyzed the records of all women consecutively admitted to our delivery ward during lockdown and compared them with those of women admitted in the same period in 2019. RESULTS: The number of patients (1260) admitted to our department in 2020 was similar (1215) to that in 2019. Among patients admitted during lockdown, 50 presented with a Sars-CoV-2 infection (3.9%). In 2020, the number of antenatal check-ups was lower than in 2019 [7.9 (1.5) vs 8.2 (1.3), p<0.001] and the rate of labor inductions was higher [436 (34.6) vs 378 (31.1), p=0.008] although no difference in delivery mode was found. Moreover, women admitted during lockdown were more likely to give birth alone [140 (11.1) vs 50 (4.1), p<0.001]. However, during 2020, the rate of mother and newborn skinto-skin contact [1036 (82.2) vs 897 (73.8), p<0.001] and that of breastfeeding within 2 hours from birth [1003 (79.6) vs 830 (68.3), p<0.001] was higher. We found no significant differences in maternal or neonatal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to guarantee a safe birth assistance to all pregnant women, both for those infected and those not infected by Sars-CoV-2.