Dr. Kendra Segunda is a new mom and the newest member of “Married to Medicine Los Angeles.” Becoming a new mother and increasing her hours as an OB-GYN as well as being the wife of a physician, is a tall order for anyone to handle. Throw in a worldwide pandemic and it can appear overwhelming to say the least,
Segunda shared with us what she is suggesting for expectant mothers and the other women her practice serves.
What advice do you have for Mommies-to-be during the COVID-19 pandemic?
When a woman is pregnant, she experiences hormone surges even when things are normal around her. So this is adding extra anxiety to expectant moms. It’s important to see your doctor because there are worse things that can happen besides COVID-19.
It can be hard to know what to do because we keep hearing different stories from doctors and experts. How do we know what’s right or wrong?
COVID-19 is new and there is so much we’re still learning. I could be talking to you today and then something new can come out about how you can catch the disease. Right now it’s respiratory droplets, but we may learn something new. The data on the virus is in real-time but our advice is not in real-time. So go back to the basics.
We know that pregnant women, babies, and older people are at risk, so we need to keep them away from sick people. We should be taking our vitamins, pregnant women should be taking their prenatal vitamins. Because when a woman is pregnant she can’t take some of the medicines for other illnesses. So they need to stay away from sick people.
With everyone sheltering at home, do you think there will be an increase in pregnancies in the upcoming months?
If I could tell you just yesterday how many patients called me to confirm home pregnancy tests it would amaze you! Women are also calling in with other issues like vaginal trauma from sexual intercourse. Again I would say it’s so important to go to the doctor if needed. Check with your doctor’s office and see if they are doing virtual appointments by phone. We’re doing that here with patients and it allows them to have a thirty-minute call with their doctor if they don’t feel their symptoms are severe enough to come in the office.
How are you managing to balance all of this with a new baby yourself and the intense work schedules of you and your husband?
I can’t even answer that right now. We’re all in this together. I have a nine-month-old baby. My husband and I are both seeing patients and there is the concern of bringing something home. I would say let’s talk in a year and I’ll be able to answer that question.
The second season of “Married to Medicine LA” airs Sunday, May 8 at 8/9C on BRAVO.
