Breastfeeding in Mothers with COVID-19: Insights from Laboratory Tests and Follow-Up from Early Outbreak of the Pandemic in China

Abstract

Objective: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) threatens a surging number of community groups within society, including women actively breastfeeding. Breastfeeding involves intimate behaviors, a major transmission route of SARS-CoV-2, and is integral to the close mother-baby relationship highly correlated with maternal psychological status. Materials and Methods: Twenty-three pregnant women and puerperae with either confirmed or suspected diagnoses of COVID-19 were enrolled in the study. The clinical characteristics and outcomes of the mothers and neonates were recorded. The presence of SARS-CoV-2, IgG, and IgM in breast milk, maternal blood, and infant blood, together with feeding patterns, was assessed within 1 month after delivery. Feeding patterns and maternal psychological status were also recorded in the second follow-up. Results: No positive detection of SARS-CoV-2 was found in neonates. All breast milk samples were negative for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. The presence of IgM for SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk was correlated with IgM presence in the maternal blood. The results of IgG detection for SARS-CoV-2 were negative in all breast milk samples. All infants were in a healthy condition in two follow-ups, and antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2 were negative. The rate of breast milk feeding increased during two follow-ups. All mothers receiving a second follow-up experienced negative psychological factors and status. Conclusions: Our findings support the feasibility of breastfeeding in women infected with SARS-CoV-2. The additional negative psychological status of mothers due to COVID-19 should also be considered during the puerperium period.

Estudo comparativo sobre o Aleitamento Materno na realidade da pandemia de COVID-19 em Hospital Amigo da Criança no Nordeste brasileiro

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Manejo da amamentação e contato pele a pele em mulheres com COVID-19: uma revisão integrativa

“…Portanto, quando o SARS-CoV-2 é identificado tanto na mãe como na criança, não há razão para interromper a amamentação e separá-las (Salvatori et al 2020). Estudos apontaram que o SARS-CoV-2 não foi detectado no leite materno em nenhuma das amostras pesquisadas (Luo et al, 2021;Peng et al, 2020;Pace et al, 2021). A Revisão Sistemática com meta-análise realizada por Zhu, Zozaya, Zhou, Castro e Shah (2021) demonstrou que a presença do SARS-CoV-2 no leite materno é rara e está associada a sintomas leves em bebês.…”

Establishment of the First Religiously-compliant Human Milk Bank in Bangladesh

“…Standard recommendations during the COVID-19 epidemic suggest that who test positive mothers can feed their babies with infection control and prevention measure. [78][79][80][81][82][83] If the mother-baby dyad test positive for COVID-19, breast feeding is not contraindicated. 84 If both the mother and her newborn are hospitalized and separated from each other, expressed breast milk can be given.…”