Covid-19: Breastfeeding tips young mothers should know

Kamini Mathai | TNN | Apr 8, 2020, 13:10 IST

CHENNAI: Young mothers too face a number of challenges on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, says lactation consultant Dr Jayashree Jayakrishnan. “New mothers, who gave birth during the Covid-19 pandemic, can feel unprepared and tend to lack confidence to care for their newborn, be it bathing, holding or even feeding the child.”
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action advises that the mother wear a medical mask when they are near the baby and perform hand hygiene before and after having close contact with the baby.
Dr Jayakrishnan suggests hygiene practices that new mothers ought to make note of before, during and after feeding the child.
Hand hygiene, she says, is foremost and this includes washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or with alcohol-based sanitiser if hands are visibly soiled.
“If a mother is confirmed with novel coronavirus infection or who is asymptomatic and wishes to express breast milk with a manual or electric breast pump, she should wash her hands before touching any pump and bottle and should follow recommendations for proper pump cleaning after each use,” says Dr Jayakrishnan, who works with the Chennai-based Fortis Malar Hospital.
“Where mothers are expressing breast milk in hospital, a dedicated breast pump should be used. Strict adherence to sterilisation is recommended for women bottle feeding her baby with formula or expressed milk. If she is too unwell to breastfeed her baby due to Covid-19 or its complications, she can be supported to safely provide breast milk to her baby in a way possible, and acceptable to her.”
There are ways the family support the breastfeeding mother, says Dr Jayakrishnan, who is now using Instagram to answer queries of young mothers at no cost. “Healthy family members can take turns to care for the child and can feed expressed milk to the baby. If a member in the house is feeling unwell, either he or she should be kept in isolation or the mother and the child should be shifted to a safe place.”