Dear Colleagues,

We have updated our special repository on Breastfeeding, Infant Feeding, Breast Milk and COVID-19. Since our last update Friday 4 December 2020, we have added 23 NEW publications for December (11 new), November (4 new), October (3 new), September (1 new), August (2 new), and May (2 new).

Click here to view the updated repository

All publications provide emerging evidence related to COVID-19 and

Breastfeeding and breast milk (including viral transmission issues)

Infant feeding recommendations

Feeding difficulties in newborns

While there were several recent reviews of international literature, this update also adds emerging evidence from Jordan, Singapore, India, Turkey, Italy, China, Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.

In this update, several publications focus on the direct impact of COVID-19 as well as the indirect impact of COVID-19 restrictions on breastfeeding practices. While one US study compared the birth experiences and breastfeeding practices of mothers with COVID-19 to those without, another article announced the protocol for a study in France comparing the birth experiences and breastfeeding practices of women who gave birth during national lockdown to those who did not.

Articles from multiple countries detail proper hygiene precautions to be taken by mothers with COVID-19 who wish to breastfeed their infants. Yet, a narrative review published this month found that there still remains a lack of consistent guidelines surrounding breastfeeding practices for women with SARS-CoV-2. One study from Italy sought to evaluate risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between mothers and infants who practiced rooming-in and breastfeeding according to standardized hospital protocol. Also included in this update is a handout detailing the legal rights of pregnant and breastfeeding women in the workplace according to US law, designed specifically for the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A commentary from India described procedural adaptations at a milk bank in New Delhi and offers milk banking recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a guide to help prioritize patients for receiving milk. Another article describes the effects of serum heating and Holder pasteurization of breast milk on levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and their capacity to neutralize the virus.

The next update for this specific repository will be on Wednesday 30 December, 2020. If you know anyone who would benefit from these updates, please let me know. (mververs@cdc.gov or mververs@jhu.edu)

Happy reading!

Mija Ververs