During this time of uncertainty, we are all craving answers + information about how to stay healthy and the best ways to care for our families. One group of people who have additional concerns are pregnant women. There is a lot of information swirling around about how COVID-19 affects pregnant women and their newborns. Since this is a new virus and it hasn’t been studied for very long, data is still being collected.
We spoke with Dr. George Guirguis from Perinatal Diagnostic Centers of New York and New Jersey to get a physician’s expert input. Dr. Guirguis is a practicing Maternal-Fetal Medicine subspecialist based in Hoboken, NJ, and he has been hosting webinars to answer all the questions pregnant women may have during this time.
To sign up for a webinar, email Dr. Guirguis at [email protected].
Below is our Q+A with Dr. Guirguis, based on Qs from mamas-to-be:
Currently, it is unclear if COVID-19 can cross through the placenta to the baby but most experts, including myself, find it highly unlikely. I go into a lot more detail for our expecting Hoboken moms during the webinar.
The CDC also has information to help pregnant women with their questions during this time. We’ve gathered some of the most common questions that the CDC is seeing regarding pregnancy + COVID-19.
Common Questions + Answers from the CDC
Here are a few more Qs to help you navigate this through the
What is the risk of pregnant women getting COVID-19? Is it easier for pregnant women to become ill with the disease? If they become infected, will their symptoms be worse than other people?
The CDC does not currently know if pregnant women have a greater chance of getting sick from COVID-19 than the general public or whether they are more likely to have serious symptoms as a result. However, pregnant women experience changes in their bodies that can increase their risk of some infections. It is always important for pregnant women to protect themselves formally illnesses.
How can pregnant women protect themselves from getting COVID-19?
Pregnant women should do the same things as the general public to avoid infection. The following actions will help prevent the spread of infection as as well as keep individual safe:
- Cover your cough {using your elbow is a good technique}
- Avoid people who are sick
- Clean your hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Stay home as much as possible
Read more: 14 Local Moms on How They Balance Motherhood + Work
You can find additional information on preventing COVID-19 here.
Can COVID-19 be passed from a pregnant woman to the fetus or newborn?
The CDC, unfortunately, does not know if a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can pass the virus to her fetus or baby during pregnancy or delivery. However, no infants born to mothers with COVID-19 have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. In these cases, which are a small number, the virus was not found in samples of amniotic fluid or breastmilk.
Transmission of COVID-19 through breast milk
Much is unknown about how COVID-19 is spread. Person-to-person spread is thought to occur mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza (flu) and other respiratory pathogens spread. In limited studies on women with COVID-19 and another coronavirus infection, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), the virus has not been detected in breast milk; however we do not know whether mothers with COVID-19 can transmit the virus via breast milk.
Guidance on breastfeeding for mothers with confirmed COVID-19 or under investigation for COVID-19
The CDC says that breast milk is the best source of nutrition for most infants. However, much is unknown about COVID-19. Whether or how to start or continue breastfeeding should be determined by the mother in conjunction with her family and healthcare provider. A mother with confirmed COVID-19 or who is asymptomatic should take all possible precautions to avoid spreading the virus to her infant, including washing hands before touching the infant and wearing a face mask, if possible, while feeding. If expressing breast milk with a manual or electric breast pump, mothers should wash hands before touching any pump or bottle parts and follow recommendations for proper pump cleaning after each use. If possible, consider having someone who is healthy feed the expressed breast milk to the infant.
See More: First-Time Mom Resources in Hoboken, Jersey City, + Beyond
Always make sure to consult your doctor before making any health decisions for you, your family, and your infant.
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Cafe Alyce Debuts Hidden Tasting Experience in Jersey City
While a classic cheese slice or pepperoni slice is hard to beat, the owner of One World Pizza at 49 Baldwin Avenue in Jersey City recently launched a chef table dinner experience highlighting different cultures through unique styles of pizza. It welcomes small parties to sit right at the kitchen table to see how the pizza is made. Read on to learn about One World Pizza and how to book a dinner reservation for the Chef Table experience.
One World Pizza
One World Pizza opened at 49 Baldwin Avenue towards the end of 2024. It’s right around the corner from the restaurant and bar Cafe Alyce. It’s hidden: the only sign near the place is an A-frame sign with the words, “Now Open One World Pizza” painted on it. The small restaurant has the capacity for about a dozen people. The focal point is the large pizza oven, warming the entire place every time the door opens and closes to put pizzas in and pull them out. The aroma of melted cheese, roasted garlic, fresh flatbread, and smoked meats fills the air.
The simple menu has several salads and pizzas available, along with a specialty pizza. HG pro tip: The Roasted Veggie Salad tastes amazing with squash, sweet potato, mixed greens, and a wonderful cinnamon vinaigrette. The pizzas are served in two different sizes. One is about six inches, a cute size to post on Instagram, and costs about $11-$13. The other is about 12 inches, great to split with a friend or a date, and costs $16-$18. The types of pizza range from a classic cheese pizza to Mexican street corn style, to Bulgogi with a kimchi sauce. The specialty pizza is the delicious Carpaccio with Wagyu Ribeye, arugula, mustard, onion, and pecorino, and costs $55. Each pizza is finished with a garlic confit and freshly grated parmesan.
Read More: Hoboken PATH Station Fully Closing for 25 Days Starting 1/30
Owner Tory Aunspach tells The Hoboken Girl, “No matter where you're from, people are nostalgic about pizza because pizza has made its way around the universe. Living in the most diverse city in the United States of America, we wanted to serve a little bit of that nostalgia to people and introduce some of these flavors to our other neighbors that weren't already familiar with them.”
Tory opened Cafe Alyce at 641 Montgomery Street in Jersey City several years ago. He’s worked as a chef across the country, even serving as a chef on yachts around the world. For fans of Below Deck, yes, he does have stories cooking for Captain Lee and working with some of the crew on the show. Now that he calls New Jersey home, he tells HG he works to serve the community through food.
“ So I've lived [in Jersey City] for almost nine years now and fell in love with the neighborhood,” says Tory. “I've been putting my heart and soul into making good food here for almost 10 years now.”
Chef Jesus raised his family in Jersey City and takes pride in running his kitchen in the heart of Chilltown. “ I'm a local. I love Jersey City. This is home,” says Chef Jesus. “I've been around to different states and different cities, but I always come back because this is home. I've been doing this for almost 20 years. Having the chance to start something like this from the bottom up with Chef Tory, it's just amazing, this opportunity.”
The Chef Table Dinner
As of January 2025, the restaurant is BYOB beer and wine, but there are plans to serve alcohol as soon as February 2025. Owner Tory plans on having a red and white wine option as well as a local beer available for guests of age.
The Chef Table experience is a reservation-only dinner for parties of four people. It’s great for a girls' night out or a fun double date. The experience is $30 per person, which does not include tax and gratuity. The dinner lasts about an hour. It starts with an amuse-bouche, which is a single appetizer bite of all the flavors the chefs will prepare that evening. Guests enjoy a salad to share and each picks a personal pizza from the menu of 10 options. For those looking to experience the Chef Table, reservations are only being accepted by email — [email protected] — for the time being.
Reservations will soon be available through Resy. Reservations for the Chef Table are available for 6PM, 7PM, 8PM, and 9PM all week. If a party is late to their reservation, the kitchen will pack up a pizza to go so the dinner doesn’t bleed over into the next dinner reservation. Tory tells The Hoboken Girl guests will complete a questionnaire on Resy while making a reservation so the kitchen can further personalize their pizza experience.
Aside from the Chef Table, there are some small tables available for walk-in diners. That means guests can still order anything from the menu, but they have to pay per dish. For those looking to enjoy pizza but don’t have time for a sit-down meal, pizza is available to order for pickup online. Be warned — they tend to sell out fast.
See More: Staci’s Sandwich Joint, a Gourmet Sub Spot, Opens in Verona
The highlight of the Chef Table experience is the conversation. Throughout our dinner at One World Pizza, Chef Jesus and Owner Tory taught us about the different ingredients they used on their pizza, the process for making each dish, and their own background with Jersey City. It makes for a warm, friendly environment to enjoy a pizza with good people.
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