Ensuring Exclusive Human Milk Diet for All Babies in COVID-19 Times

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has ramifications for the delivery of newborn nutrition and care services. World Health Organization recommends continuation of breastfeeding in these difficult times, with due precautions. If direct breastfeeding is not possible, milk expression should be explored. Pasteurized donor human milk from milk banks may be fed if mother’s own milk is not available. To universalize access to human milk, the Indian government has proposed the establishment of comprehensive lactation management centers/milk banks, lactation management units, and lactation support units at all levels of the public health system. Due to COVID-19, these centers are encountering additional challenges cutting across interventions of rooming in, breastfeeding, milk expression, and provision of donor milk and kangaroo mother care. We discuss issues faced and alleviation measures taken by these centres in relation to provision of an exclusive human milk diet for infants during the pandemic.