Promoting attachment between parents and neonates despite the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

Social distancing is the only option available during the COVID‐19 pandemic until a vaccine is developed. However, this is having a major impact on human relationships and bonding between parents and neonates is a major concern. Separation during this health emergency could have lifelong consequences for offspring, and there are even greater concerns if newborn infants are sick or vulnerable and need intensive care. We look at how bonding can be safely supported and maintained without risking infecting neonates, by comparing the international guidelines and proposing safe actions within those frameworks.

Restructuring maternal services during the covid-19 pandemic: Early results of a scoping review for non-infected women

“…Considering the novelty of the pandemic, an implicit variability has to be accepted concerning what is advisable for monitoring early neonatal stages. A largely shared opinion considers essential the involvement of professionals with in-person visits either at home or within the health facilities and supports this mode in order to implement neonatal jaundice assessment by the mother and to plan for vaccinations ( Harriel et al., 2020 ; Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 2020b ; Sachdeva et al., 2020 ; Tscherning et al., 2020 ). On the other hand, a recent study supports the idea that maternal and child monitoring may be performed exploiting emerging virtual technologies in up to 87.3% of overall postpartum consultations whenever videoconferencing is available between institutions and homes.…”

Clinical guidance and perinatal care in the era of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

“…As with many newly-described diseases, especially infections, the early published literature (and we are only 8 months into this pandemic) tends to emphasize worsecase outcomes, which are more easily identified. These adverse outcomes include higher rates of preterm delivery, particularly among women with underlying medical comorbidities and obesity [15,[24][25][26][27][28].…”

Highlights in this issue

“…The social distancing measures adopted during the COVID‐19 pandemic are particularly challenging for those caring for newborn infants. In a clinical overview, Tscherning et al 4 looked at the existing guidelines and clinical evidence and explored how transmission risks can be balanced with neonates’ needs for early bonding and nutrition, including skin‐to‐skin contact and breastfeeding. Readers may also be interested in Mosalli and Paes, paper, 5 which looks at how to set realistic goals for feeding infants when their mothers have COVID‐19.…”