COVID‐19 guidelines for pregnant women and new mothers: A systematic evidence review

Abstract

Background Nearly a year after COVID‐19 was initially detected, guidance for pregnant and new mothers remains varied. Objective The goal of this systematic review is to summarize recommendations for three areas of maternal and fetal care—breastfeeding, post‐partum social distancing, and decontamination. Search strategy We searched PubMed, Embase and Web of Science spanning from inception to November 9, 2020. Selection criteria Articles were included if they focused on COVID‐positive mothers, commented on at least one of the three areas of interest, and were published in English. Data collection and analysis Our combined database search yielded 385 articles. After removing duplicates and articles that did not cover the correct populations or subject matter, a total of 74 articles remained in our analysis. Main results Most articles recommended direct breastfeeding with enhanced precaution measures. Recommendations regarding post‐partum social distancing varied, although articles published more recently often recommended keeping the mother and newborn in the same room when possible. Decontamination recommendations emphasized mask wearing, good hand hygiene, and proper cleaning of surfaces. Conclusion In general, there was a focus on shared decision making when approaching topics such as breastfeeding and post‐partum social distancing. Guidelines for decontamination were fairly uniform.

Recommendations for breastfeeding during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

“…Similarly, a previous review found that the aspects in the guidance documents from 33 countries were poorly consistent with the WHO guidelines [ 91 ]. The other study found that in 73 articles, recommendations regarding breastfeeding, separation of mother and newborns after birth and decontamination practices were varied [ 92 ]. In our review, China seemed to have stricter measures about breastfeeding.…”

Breastfeeding during a Pandemic

“…Another recent systematic review has synthetized available recommendations for breastfeeding mothers affected by SARS-CoV-2 [43]. The review identified 73 articles reporting recommendations (including guidelines) on this issue.…”

Aleitamento materno em tempos de COVID-19: uma scoping review

“…É possível perceber a importância de transmitir informações atualizadas sobre a COVID-19, visto que as evidências sobre o vírus causador dessa doença mudam rapidamente. Dessa forma, os profissionais de saúde devem orientar e tomar as decisões, de modo compartilhado, com a família, respeitando a vontade dos pais (1) . Nesse sentindo, observou-se estratégia de suporte à lactantes com embasamento científico por consultoras de lactação, no qual promoveram-se encontros online em tempo real com profissionais de várias áreas da saúde, a fim de sanar dúvidas das famílias e para que as puérperas se mantivessem incentivadas a manter a amamentação, reforçando para as puérperas a importância de consultar informações sobre a COVID-19 e amamentação em fontes seguras e confiáveis (54) .…”