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Questions and inquiries are frequent about the language or minds of new mothers, about whether it is safe to breastfeed their children if they are infected with Covid-19 and whether to receive the vaccine against the virus. Corona is a safe step during the breastfeeding phase.
Dr Lawrence Grammer Straw, Technical Officer for Improving Infant and Child Nutrition Worldwide at the World Health Organization, answers questions during episode 51 of the show ” Science in Five ”, presented by Vismita Gupta Smith and disseminated by the World Health Organization through its official website and accounts on communication platforms. .
mothers with covid
“Mothers really care a lot about the health of their newborns, as well as their health,” said Dr. Lawrence. “But it’s also important that they make sure that the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages breastfeeding for its many benefits. And also because breast milk itself is not a means of breastfeeding. transmission of the virus to the infant, ”noting that there may be concerns that mothers are caring for their babies and that the mother is too close to her baby while breastfeeding.
But, “What scientists have found, in fact, is that the risks of transmission to the child are very low, and if the child is found to be infected, the cases of Covid-19 infection for them are very low. newborns are usually very light, and therefore the breastfeeding procedure of the infected mother does not pose COVID-19 is a major risk to the health of her child.
On the other hand, Dr Lawrence added that the small possibilities must be weighed against the disadvantages of losing the benefits of breastfeeding, explaining that it is very important that efforts continue to protect the infant from many others. diseases, which he can contract if he Analytical studies of the losses from stopping breastfeeding in such cases have shown that the benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh the risks of potential transmission.
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Baby protection methods
Dr Lawrence explained that a mother with COVID-19 would definitely want to do anything in her power to protect her child from infecting her, although this poses a small risk. Thus, following the safety advice given to the rest of the family can ensure the protection of the newborn, starting with the wearing of protective masks and frequent washing of hands, through the use of wet wipes, which contain alcohol, etc.
And then she can continue to contact her child, because it is important that the child is in contact with the mother, given the fact that she is committed to taking basic precautions that prevent the transmission of infection to his entourage.
The vaccine is safe and necessary
In response to a question about the safety of a nursing mother receiving the Corona vaccine, Dr Lawrence said that, based on all the evidence available to the World Health Organization, obtaining the vaccine is a safe procedure for nursing mothers, for as long as experts and scientists from the World Health Organization strongly recommend getting it.
Dr Lawrence added that getting the vaccine is important for the health of the mother in order to protect her from COVID-19 and to be able to take care of her family as best as possible and not be seriously ill.
“There is no evidence that the vaccine will transmit the virus to the child. There is no reason that the vaccine should be less effective in a nursing mother than in a non-breastfeeding mother.” , he added. why it is recommended that breastfeeding mothers receive the vaccine as soon as they have the opportunity to protect themselves and the society around them.
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Breastfeeding advice
Dr Lawrence continued his advice by saying that the World Health Organization recommends that mothers start breastfeeding within the first hour of the birth of their child, that is, immediately after birth, and continue. to breastfeed for two years or more, as long as they want. and their baby.
Dr Lawrence pointed out that for the first six months, he recommends that the baby not breastfeed anything other than breast milk and then start introducing complementary foods.
Benefits for baby and mother
Dr Lawrence explained that there are many health benefits of breastfeeding a child, in terms of protection against infectious diseases such as diarrhea or respiratory infections, in addition to the long-term effects. Even after stopping breastfeeding, it protects the child against overweight and obesity and against Sudden Childhood Death Syndrome (SID) and leukemia.
“The mother herself takes advantage of breastfeeding to protect her from breast cancer, ovarian cancer and diabetes,” concluded Dr. Lawrence.
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