Happy. Healthy. Southie.
Supportive and non-judgmental advice from SBCHC's health experts.
Newborns, Visitors and COVID-19: When can I hold your baby?
By: Jocelyn Guggenheim
In the nearly 2 decades I have spent working with new parents, I can’t remember a time when the question about who should be allowed around a newborn was so complicated.
We have always wanted to keep new babies and new parents healthy, fed, and supported (no small feat) but the evolving COVID-19 pandemic has made doing that nearly impossible. Everyone wants to know what is safe. And while these decisions will look slightly different for every family, I thought it would be helpful to outline some basic principles that I discuss with my primary care patients and new mothers who attend my weekly (Zoom) support group to help them make a plan that works for them.
This basic decision framework is more robustly outlined in this article, written by Brown University economist Emily Oster, who has made a career of helping parents navigate complicated questions with limited scientific evidence.
