Breastfeeding in Mothers Infected With COVID-19
Abstract
COVID-19 can be transmitted through droplets and direct contact. The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern. Breastfeeding mothers who are infected with COVID-19 have a risk of transmitting it to their babies. Effective support for breastfeeding or formula milk for babies need to remain a priority so that the nutritional needs of babies can be met. The aim of this study was to explore breastfeeding among mothers infected with COVID-19. A literature review was used. 10 articles were found by manual screening. The variables examined were breastfeeding mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic, transmission of COVID-19 through breast milk, and breastfeeding management in mothers with unconfirmed and confirmed COVID-19 infections. Eight of the articles discussed the transmission of COVID-19 through breast milk, two discussed the management of breastfeeding in mothers without confirmed COVID-19, and eight in mothers with confirmed COVID-19. This study found that the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk has not been proven to date. We can conclude that the management of breastfeeding in mothers with unconfirmed and confirmed COVID-19 supports mothers to continue breastfeeding their babies while taking infection prevention measures. Mothers who are infected with COVID-19 with serious symptoms and who cannot breastfeed directly are advised to express their milk to be given to their babies or to use formula milk.
Keywords: breastfeeding, COVID-19 mother, COVID-19
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