COVID 19 and the impact on the beginning of life
Abstract
COVID 19 is a pandemic that has crippled the world. The disease process started in the Hubei province of China but has been successfully confirmed in 181 countries at the time of this article. Much of the data and literature have centered around the adult population and there have been few reports pertaining to COVID 19 and pregnancy. There have been even fewer studies addressing breastfeeding in postpartum mothers affected with COVID 19.
The purpose of our study was to review and compile the literature addressing whether breastfeeding was a safe and viable option following delivery in COVID 19 mothers.
Methods:
We searched PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, Scopus, Embase to find potential studies. Data mining was focused around COVID 19 positive pregnancies with subsequent breastfeeding Results:
We found 12 studies that were pertinent to our topic. Delivery methods were varied, with most studies calling for vaginal delivery, unless established criteria were met for a caesarean section. Breastfeeding was recommended in both studies and ultimately citing human milk was not a vector in viral transmission.13
Discussion:
There is sparse literature studying the effects of breastfeeding on infants born to mothers who have tested positive for COVID 19. The benefits of breastfeeding are clearly significant, however the disease is known to carry significant mortality for the immune-compromised and the immune naïve patient population.
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