Breastfeeding in Neonates During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in China: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

ObjectiveTo elucidate the current situation of breastfeeding in neonates in China and to investigate whether SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted through the mother’s milk.DesignA nationwide cross-sectional surveySettingThree hundred and forty-four member hospitals of the Chinese Neonatologist Association network from 31 provinces in China.SampleNine hundred and fourteen neonatologistsMain outcome measuresThese 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.ResultsBreastfeeding 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.ConclusionsBased 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.