Postnatal practices and the covid-19 mother

Abstract

Early in the Covid-19 pandemic maternity hospital practices were jeopardized by guidelines produced by scientific societies to reduce the risk of mother to child transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 infection to a minimum. Subsequent research has documented that skin-to-skin contact in the delivery room, feeding directly to the breast and rooming-in can be considered safe, if infection control measures are concurrently applied. Professionals should not forget the proven benefits of breastfeeding and the importance of early mother-baby relationship whenever taking decisions that might hinder these practices.