IDAI: COVID-19 Positive Mothers Can Still Breastfeed

JAKARTA - The head of the PP IDAI ASI Task Force, dr. Elizabeth Yohmi, Sp.A said mothers who are positive for COVID-19 can still give breast milk to their children by implementing health protocols without worrying about the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. "Mothers can breastfeed if they want. breastfeeding with health protocols such as wearing a mask when breastfeeding and caring for the baby, washing hands with soap before and after handling the baby, and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects that are often touched by the mother and baby," said Elizabeth. World Breastfeeding Week webinar with the theme Breastfeeding During a Pandemic: Support for Mothers, Protection for Families online, Thursday said that mothers with COVID-19 should get support for safe breastfeeding. optimally, perform IMD with skin-to-skin contact when the mother and baby are stable. If the mother is not strong enough to breastfeed directly, she can give expressed breast milk with the COVID-10 health protocol when expressing breast milk, she said. baby's throat serum/swab. In addition, IgG concentrations were increased in five infants (passive transmission of IgG through the placenta).

Meanwhile, based on the medRxiv website, 80 percent of 15 samples of breast milk expressed on days 14-30 after the mother was free of COVID-19 symptoms showed increased levels of anti-SARS Cov-2 IgA. In addition, there is a strong dominant SARS Cov-2 slgA immune response in breast milk after infection in most individuals, and that a comprehensive study of this response is urgently needed." There was also a scientific brief on June 23, 2020, of 46 mothers exposed to COVID-19 , it was found that 13 babies were positive, but 36 babies were negative. Then we will see how the breast milk is, how it is transmitted from breast milk, it turns out that only three of the mothers' breast milk have viruses and 43 of the mothers' breast milks are negative for viruses. Of the three positive mothers' breast milk, two negative babies were found. COVID-19, which is one baby who is breastfed directly and one baby is expressed breast milk," he explained. While one baby from breast milk tested positive for COVID-19 and the result was one baby positive, there is no clear data on how to drink and the route of infection. After further investigation with realtime PCR, it was a viral particle so it was not a live virus. Thus, said Elizabeth, there were not enough data on transmission through breastfeeding. Adherence to infection prevention is very important to avoid mother-to-child transmission. Based on the available research evidence, the WHO recommendation for IMD and continuing to breastfeed still applies to mothers with suspected and confirmed COVID-19. especially colostrum. Kartini added, breastfeeding becomes a tough challenge for a mother if her family, environment, and workplace lack an understanding of the importance of breastfeeding. Another challenge is the COVID-19 pandemic that has occurred since last year. How can breastfeeding mothers worry about breastfeeding their babies because they are in an environment exposed to COVID-19 or have been infected with COVID-19. A survivor of COVID-19 who is also a breastfeeding mother, dr Ferdila Mariam, Sp.S said that she continued to breastfeed her nine-month-old baby when she was exposed to the disease in September 2020. "I was worried and worried when I found out I was exposed," said Dila. read a lot about breastfeeding mothers who are positive for COVID-19 can breastfeed.