This study, carried out with a sample of 90 nursing mothers, one pregnant woman and nine unvaccinated mothers, shows that these two vaccines are effective and safe for mothers, since neither of them had any type of serious adverse reaction, and they protect the babies, who also did not present any problems.
The head of Neonatology at the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria University Hospital, Sabina Romero, explains in an interview with Efe that after analyzing the blood and milk of these women, all of whom are voluntary health workers, it can be concluded that vaccination in nursing mothers is “Safe, effective and secure.”
In this research, whose scientific study is in preparation to be published soon in an international medical journal, women with an average age of 36 years with an average breastfeeding of 11 months have participated, although 21 of them have been breastfeeding their children for more than two years.
None of them have had serious adverse reactions and infants do not have significant symptoms clearly related to the vaccine, adds Romero, who therefore affirms that, therefore, there is no difference with respect to the general population.
In his opinion, the importance of this study lies in the fact that finally, after months of uncertainty, there is scientific evidence that nursing mothers can be vaccinated normally.
The initial doubts had to do, according to Romero, with the fact that from the initial clinical trials, both of vaccines as is the case and of drugs, pregnant and lactating women are excluded, which caused their vaccination to be contraindicated in some places against covid-19 and in others it will be left as a personal decision.
This investigation, in which the services of Pediatrics, Laboratory of Clinical Analysis and Microbiology and Obstetrics-Gynecology of the hospital have participated, has not studied the effect of AstraZeneca, the third vaccine that is currently dispensed in Spain against covid -19.
However, according to the pediatrician, everything points to the same thing happening as with Pfizer and Moderna and that breastfeeding mothers vaccinated with AstraZeneca also generate antibodies against covid-19 in milk and blood.
In principle, the safety basis for infants would be the same, although it should be studied, says Romero, who is seeking funding to expand the study in this regard.
Meanwhile, the study continues with women vaccinated six weeks ago with Pfizer and Moderna, who will be checked again after six months to see if they maintain the same levels of antibodies in their blood and to check if they have been infected with covid-19.
Regarding pregnant women, whose covid infection could cause more serious problems and therefore are considered a risk group, their vaccination, for the moment, is carried out individually depending on each case.
Breastfeeding protects children against lower respiratory infections and also prevents them from sudden death and suffering from gastroenteritis, otitis media and obesity, among other diseases.
Likewise, it protects mothers from breast cancer and cardiovascular risks, especially those who breastfeed for more than two years.
“Now, in a pandemic, breastfeeding is more important than ever,” says Romero, who encourages women to protect their children, not only from covid-19, through breastfeeding.
In positive cases, the pediatrician advises women to continue breastfeeding their children, since it has not been proven that there is infection through breast milk and, however, they pass antibodies against the virus to their children, in addition to other bioactive components and defenders.
As for the cases of babies infected by covid-19, the head of Neonatology at this Tenerife hospital has confirmed that there have been no serious cases requiring admission.
In addition, at the Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, whose protocol from the beginning of the pandemic consisted of not separating mothers infected by covid from their children, either “There have been practically cases” of admissions for bronchiolitis during the winter due, among other aspects, to the use of a mask.
Regarding women who give birth with COVID infection, Romero points out that most are asymptomatic and no newborn has been infected at birth.
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