Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
–
–
(Pregnant women, people at risk of developing a serious form of infection)
Does Coronavirus pose a threat to the fetus or to the breastfeeding newborn whose mother is infected? Can the virus be found in amniotic fluid or breast milk when pregnant or breastfeeding women are carriers? At the same time, can an infected nurse continue to feed her baby with milk? The subject is of interest. The clarifications, it is with, Dr. Sessi Elisée Kinkpé, General practitioner HZ Savalou / Bantè, Acting chief doctor of the municipality of Bantè, Chief pediatric service of the hospital.
What about the fetus during pregnancy
Dr Elisée Kinkpé: As this subject is delicate, we must comply with what the international institutions report. As for transmission during pregnancy, in general, the virus is not found in the amniotic fluid. As a result, the risk of transmission during pregnancy and childbirth is not certain. Babies are said to be infected once after delivery when they come into contact with the virus. This requires respect for barrier gestures by the mother, the entourage and the delivery in a decontaminated environment.
According to the WHO, we still don’t know if a pregnant woman with Covid-19 can transmit the virus to the fetus during pregnancy or to the baby during childbirth.
To date, the presence of the virus has not been found in samples of amniotic fluid. A study published March 26 in the Journal of American medicine association (Jama) declares that three Chinese babies could have been infected in utero. These three boys, on tests conducted on 33 children of mothers affected by Covid-19 in Wuhan, tested positive within hours of delivery. But the study also said the babies could have been reached after giving birth. “It is important to note that this study cannot confirm how the three babies contracted the coronavirus,” said Dr. Pat O’Brien, Vice President of the Royal British College of Obstetricians. However, be aware that pregnant women are at risk. The French High Council for Public Health has classified pregnant women as one of those “most at risk of developing a serious form of infection”. They are therefore invited, more than anyone else, to respect the precautionary barrier gestures.
What about the infant while breastfeeding
Dr. Elisée Kinkpé: Regarding breastfeeding, everyone agrees that the role of transmission of respiratory infections by milk is insignificant. Thus, breastfeeding is allowed but strictly respecting the barrier rules. To date, according to the WHO, the presence of the virus has not been found in breast milk samples.But, in case of serious damage to the mother, expression of milk is possible by following the same rules. In all cases, milk contributes to the well-being of the newborn. According to the WHO, given the benefits of breast milk and its insignificant role in the transmission of other respiratory viruses, the mother can continue to breastfeed. She must nevertheless wear a medical mask when she is near her infant and carefully respect hand hygiene gestures before any close contact with the latter.
Infants born to mothers with suspected, probable, or confirmed Covid-19 should be fed according to standard infant feeding guidelines, while applying necessary infection control precautions. It should be noted that breastfeeding should start within an hour of birth. Exclusive breastfeeding should be continued for six months, with timely introduction at the age of 6 months of adequate, safe and appropriately fed complementary foods, while continuing breastfeeding until ” at the age of 2 years or beyond. Since there is a dose response effect, in the sense that early initiation of breastfeeding achieves greater benefits, mothers who are unable to initiate Breastfeeding for the first hour after giving birth should still be encouraged to breastfeed as soon as they can. This may apply to mothers who give birth by cesarean section after anesthesia, or to those who are not medically stable, which prevents them from starting to breastfeed within one hour of birth. In situations where a mother has a severe form of Covid-19 or other complications that prevent her from caring for or continuing to breastfeed directly, that mother should be encouraged and given the support necessary to that she can express her milk and that this breast milk be given to her child, while applying the appropriate infection control measures. I would like to point out that if the mother is too sick to breastfeed or express her milk, consideration should be given to the possibility of using an appropriate breastmilk substitute, taking into account the cultural context, the acceptability by mother and availability of services
Interview by Cyrience KOUGNANDE
–
