Breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Dear Editor, WHO recommends that newborns be given breast milk only for the first 6 months and that they should continue breastfeeding to two years and over with complementary foods afterwards1. COVID-19 originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and unfortunately has spread all over the world to become a pandemic. The International Council of Midwives (ICM) expressed concerns regarding the inappropriate protocols management of the human rights of women in childbirth and breastfeeding in perinatal period during the pandemic2. There is no current evidence showing that specific symptoms appear in the prenatal, natal and postpartum period and are transmitted from mother to fetus or newborn2-5