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FRIDAY, July 24, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
Mothers are unlikely to pass COVID-19<\/a> to their newborns if they follow recommended precautions, a small study suggests.<\/p>\n “We hope our study will provide some reassurance to new mothers that the risk of them passing COVID-19<\/a> to their babies<\/a> is very low. However, larger studies are needed to better understand the risks of transmission from mother to child,” said co-leader Dr. Christine Salvatore, a pediatric infectious disease specialist from Weill Cornell Medicine-New York Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital in New York City.<\/p>\n The research included 120 babies<\/a> born to 116 mothers with COVID-19<\/a> infection. The infants, born at three New York hospitals between March 22 and May 17, were allowed to room with their mothers and breastfeed, if moms were well enough.<\/p>\n The babies were in enclosed cribs, 6 feet<\/a> from their mothers, except during feeding. Moms were required to wear masks while handling their babies and to follow frequent hand- and breast-washing guidelines.<\/p>\n There were no cases of coronavirus transmission to the babies during birth or after two weeks of breastfeeding<\/a> and skin-to-skin contact. At 1 month of age, 53 babies had a virtual checkup and were well and growing normally, according to the study published July 23 in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health<\/i> journal.<\/p>\n The findings suggest it’s safe for mothers with COVID-19<\/a> to breastfeed and room with their newborn<\/a> — if they follow infection control procedures, researchers concluded.<\/p>\n Study co-leader Dr. Patricia DeLaMora, another pediatric infectious disease specialist at Weill Cornell, noted that skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding<\/a> are important for bonding between mother and child and for the baby’s long-term health.<\/p>\n “Our findings suggest that babies born to mothers with COVID-19<\/a> infection can still benefit from these safely, if appropriate infection control measures are followed,” she said in a journal news release.<\/p>\n Dr. Melissa Medvedev, an assistant professor of pediatrics<\/a> at the University of California, San Francisco, wrote an editorial that accompanied the study.<\/p>\n While she said the findings provide valuable safety data, key questions remain unanswered.<\/p>\n “Robust population-based data are needed to quantify the incidence of complications among pregnant<\/a> women and neonates, and to understand rates and routes of vertical and horizontal transmission, including asymptomatic transmission,” Medvedev wrote. “Studies are also required to determine the effectiveness of infection prevention<\/a> and control practices in the neonatal<\/a> care setting.”<\/p>\n — Robert Preidt<\/p>\n ![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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