Breastfeeding in neonates during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic
in China: a cross-sectional survey
Abstract
Abstract Objective: To elucidate the current situation of breastfeeding
in neonates in China and to investigate whether SARS-CoV-2 is
transmitted through the mother’s milk. Design: A nationwide
cross-sectional survey Setting: Three hundred and forty-four member
hospitals of the Chinese Neonatologist Association network from 31
provinces in China. Sample: Nine hundred and fourteen neonatologists
Main outcome measures: These included (1) breastfeeding practices in the
obstetrics ward; (2) breastfeeding implementation for neonates admitted
to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); (3) presence of SARS-CoV-2 in
the breast milk of COVID-19 positive mothers based on the real-time
reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCT) test results.
Results: Breastfeeding was undermined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of
the 344 hospitals, 153 (44.48%) centers received breast milk from milk
banks to feed babies in NICU. Eight (2.33%) Level III centers performed
SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests on breast milk from 15 mothers with COVID-19 and
found no SARS-CoV-2 RNA presence in breast milk. Moreover, none of the
mothers engaged in breastfeeding. Further, only 52 (5.69%)
neonatologists supported breastfeeding in mothers with COVID-19.
Conclusions: Based on the available evidence, the benefits of
breastfeeding for both infants and mothers outweigh the potential risk
of SARS-CoV-2 transmission through breast milk. Amidst the COVID-19
pandemic, medical staff should encourage breastfeeding, in keeping with
normal infant feeding guidelines, and provide skilled support to all
mothers who choose to breastfeed.