Breastfeeding: Is it safe to breastfeed my baby with Coronavirus?

Transmission of the disease through breastfeeding has not currently been determined.

It is important to maintain contact between the baby and its mother, at birth, through breastfeeding.

This entails a number of protective and immunological properties, which reduce the risk of infections by bacteria or viruses, and will keep the baby protected from some environmental aggressions.

Therefore, the use of breast milk plays an important role in children's health, present and future.

In studies carried out, the transmission of Covid-19 through breast milk, at the time of breastfeeding, has not been determined.

Breastfeeding is recommended for the newborn, despite the fact that the mother is infected, as long as her health allows it.

If this is not allowed, the baby should be fed with previously expressed milk or from a donor mother.

WHO advice

The World Health Organization recommends that mothers with Coronavirus (whether with some symptoms or a confirmed case), can feed their baby without any problem, taking into account:

• Wash your hands with soap and water or with gel, before having contact with the baby

• When being close to the newborn, use masks

• Disinfect and clean surfaces you may touch

• The mask must be discarded and its front part cannot be touched

• The mother should wash her breast in case she has coughed on it

• If the baby gets infected or sick, breastfeeding should continue

Breastfeeding decreases the risk of many diseases, as it has a positive impact on infant mortality and morbidity.

In this way, it contributes to an adequate, complete, balanced and sufficient diet.