It's okay for COVID-19 positive mothers to share room with newborns: JAMA

Written By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2020-12-08T09:12:13+05:30 | Updated On 8 Dec 2020 2:40 PM IST

There has been lot of confusion as to whether newborn baby can be kept with COVID-19 positive mother or not.While current recommendations vary, most advise either separating COVID-19–infected mothers from their babies after birth or keeping them together and breastfeeding while taking infection-control precautions.

But a new study appearing in JAMA Pediatrics has revealed that mother-to-infant transmission of COVID-19 is rare. Researchers have found in a new study that only 1 of 62 newborns who breastfed and roomed with their 61 COVID-19–infected mothers in Lombardy, Italy, was diagnosed as having the novel coronavirus.

The findings of this study suggest that mother-to-infant transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during rooming-in practice is rare, provided that adequate droplet and contact precautions are taken.

In this six-center cohort study, 62 neonates born to 61 mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection were roomed-in with appropriate precautions.Mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection were encouraged to practice rooming-in and breastfeeding under a standardized protocol to minimize the risk of viral transmission.

It was found that no neonate tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on nasopharyngeal swab at birth, and 95% of them were breastfed. All neonates were followed up until age 3 weeks; only 1 neonate was diagnosed as having SARS-CoV-2 infection during follow-up.

The one infected newborn was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after 5 days, when the mother developed bilateral pneumonia and pulmonary embolism requiring mechanical ventilation for 14 days. Two days after arrival in the NICU, the infant tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and had periodic, mild shortness of breath for a few days.

The findings of this cohort study provide evidence-based information on the management of mother-infant dyads in case of SARS-CoV-2 maternal infection suggesting that rooming-in and breastfeeding can be practiced in women who are able to care for their infants.They added that separating mothers from their newborns interferes with both bonding and breastfeeding.

For further reference log on to:

JAMA Pediatr. Published online December 7, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.508

JAMA PediatricsCOVID-19COVID-19 positive mothersnewbornstransmission

Source : JAMA Pediatrics

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751