NEW STUDY IS REVEALING SOME
ALARMING FINDINGS ABOUT
CHILDREN BORN DURING THE EARLY
STAGES OF THE PANDEMIC. THERE
WAS ALSO JUST THAT THEY’RE
DEVELOPING AT A DIFFERENT RATE
THAN THOSE BORN BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC. NBC NEWS SENIOR
MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT DOCTOR
JOHN TORRES JOINS US NOW TO
DIG INTO THIS STUDY A DOCTOR.
JOHN, CAN YOU BREAK DOWN THE
STUDY FOR US HERE A LITTLE
MORE SPECIFICALLY AND HOW IT
WAS CONDUCTED.
>> DEFINITELY AIR. AND WHAT WE
HAVE KNOWN FROM THE PAST,
ESPECIALLY IN WARTIME
ENVIRONMENT THAT THE STRESS
THAT THE MOTHER INDOORS DURING
PREGNANCY CAN AFFECT THE BABY
LATER ON, ESPECIALLY IN THE
EARLY STAGES OF PREGNANCY AND
THE BABY IN THE EARLY STAGES
OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT ONCE
THEY’RE BORN. BUT WHAT WE
DIDN’T KNOW IS HOW THAT STRESS
DURING THE PANDEMIC MIGHT BE
AFFECTING THEM AND THAT’S WHAT
THE STUDY SET OUT TO PROVE AND
IT WAS A STUDY DONE IN MARCH
IN THE SPRINGTIME OF
TWENTY-TWENTY SYSTEMS BACK,
YOU KNOW, YEAR AND A HALF AGO,
IT WAS IN NEW YORK CITY. AND
IF YOU REMEMBER BACK THEN NEW
YORK WAS WHAT WE’RE CALLING IT
THE TIME THE EPICENTER OF THE
EPICENTER. SO IT’S VERY
STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENT. YOU
KNOW, WE WERE I WAS THERE. I
THINK YOU WERE THERE AS WELL.
WHAT THEY DID IS THEY END UP
GETTING 250 PREGNANT WOMEN AND
THEN THEY FOLLOW THEIR BABY 6
MONTHS AFTER THEY WERE BORN.
THEY ALSO LOOK COMPARED THAT
TO 60 WOMEN WHO HAD DEVOE WHO
WOULD GIVE IN CHILDBIRTH
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC AND THESE
BABIES WERE BORN BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC AND A LOOK AT THE 2
OF THEM AND THEY FOUND OUT
THAT CHILDREN WHO WERE BORN
DURING THE PANDEMIC ENDED UP
HAVING SOME ISSUES AND
PARTICULARLY HAVING ISSUES
WITH FINE MOTOR STILL SKILLS.
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS KNOWS BE
ABLE TO PICK UP THINGS OR
REACH FOR THINGS AND SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENTS AT THE 6 MONTH
TIME PERIOD. AND SO THIS IS
LIKE YOU MENTIONED, KIND OF AN
ALARMING FINDING. IT’S A SMALL
STUDY, BUT IS SHOWING THIS
STRESS CAN AFFECT THE FETUS
WHICH WE’VE KNOWN AND CAN
AFFECT THE BABY. BUT SAME TIME
THE PANDEMIC STRESS IS ONE
THAT CAN AFFECT THEM HEAVILY
AARON.
>> YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WOMEN
DO. LOOK AT WOMEN WHO ARE
PREGNANT NOW TAKE AWAY FROM
THIS STUDY.
>> WELL, ONE OF THE BIGGEST
THINGS TO UNDERSTAND WITH THE
STUDY. IS IT LOOKED ALSO AT
WHETHER PREGNANT WOMEN HAD
GOTTEN COVID DURING PREGNANCY
OR NOT AND THEY FOUND NO
DIFFERENCE AT 6 MONTHS OF AGE
OF THE CHILD IN ANYTHING THESE
THINGS THEY LOOKED AT FINE
MOTOR SKILLS, GROSS MOTOR
SKILL OR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
WHAT MATTERED WITH THE STRESS?
THEY WERE ENDURING DURING THAT
PREGNANCY. AND SO ONE THING
YOU CAN TAKE AWAY FROM HERE IS
REALIZE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING
AND WHAT THE RESEARCHERS ARE
SAYING IS THESE CHILDREN WHO
ARE BORN DURING THE PANDEMIC
NEED TO BE FOLLOWED CLOSELY
THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES,
ESPECIALLY THE EARLY LIVES TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY’RE GOING
TO DO, OK, GET THE HELP THEY
NEED ALSO REALIZE THAT WHAT
MIGHT BE NORMAL STRESS FOR.
YOU. COULD BE STRESSED. IT’S
HARD TO HANDLE FOR SOMEBODY
ELSE FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS
AND SO STRESS IS VERY RELATIVE
MEETING IS A VERY PERSONAL
THING. IF YOU DO NEED HELP, GO
AHEAD AND TRY TO GET THE HELP
YOU CAN GET THE DISTRESS IS
THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT WHERE
BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, LACK OF
HOUSING, LACK OF FOOD, THE
STRESS OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING
WITH JOB AND SECURITIES, THOSE
TYPES OF THINGS. SO, YOU KNOW,
IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING IF YOU
CAN GET A HANDLE THOSE THINGS
GET A HANDLE ON THOSE THINGS.
BUT SOMETIMES STRESS GETS TO A
LEVEL IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT.
IF IT’S AT THAT POINT TO GO
AHEAD AND SEEK HELP WHEN YOU
CAN. AARON.
>> ALL RIGHT. DOCTOR JOHN
TORRES, WE APPRECIATE THAT.