Parys District Hospital supports World breastfeeding week that is celebrated from 1-7 August.
The theme of World breastfeeding week 2020, adapted for South Africa, is: Support breastfeeding for a healthier SA.
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers compiled by the National Department of Health.
Following delivery, why should a baby still be placed skin-to-skin immediately and breastfed within the first hour after birth?
There are many benefits of skin-to-skin contact (skin-to-skin contact calms the mother and the baby and helps to stabilize the baby’s heartbeat and breathing. It keeps the baby warm with heat from the mother’s body. It also helps to normalize the baby’s blood sugar. It reduces infant crying, thus reducing stress and energy use. It facilitates bonding between the mother and her baby and it supports breastfeeding.
Immediate and continued skin-to-skin care, including kangaroo mother care, and
keeping the baby warm, is linked with fewer newborn deaths.
There are many benefits of skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding and thesemlargely outweigh the possible risks of transmission and illness associated with COVID-19.
Placing the newborn close to the mother also enables early initiation of breastfeeding which helps the baby receive colostrum, which is protective against illness, UNLESS if the newborn is too ill for the mother to practice skinto-
skin contact or the mother is too ill to do skin-to-skin practice.
Mothers who are positive for COVID-19 should only stay with the baby if full infection control and isolation can be guaranteed.
What if the mother is ill?
Mothers who are critically ill, with COVID-19 and unable to breastfeed directly should be supported to maintain lactation through expressing of milk with the help of healthcare staff.
For women expressing breastmilk, wash hands before expressing. If using a breast pump, a dedicated breast pump/milk cups should be used. Follow recommendations for breast pump
cleaning after each use. Consider asking someone who is well to feed expressed milk to the baby (mother can decant milk from her container into a clean container held by a healthy person to prevent transmission via the containers surface).
If a mother confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19 is not able to breastfeed due to other reasons, what is the best alternative way to feed her infant and are there additional
measures needed?
The best alternatives to breastfeeding for a newborn or young infant are expressed breast milk and donor human milk
There are always risks associated with giving infant formula milk to newborns and infants in all situations.
The risks associated with giving infant formula milk are higher in situations where there is poor or limited access to health services if a baby becomes unwell or poor access to clean
water or access to supplies of infant formula are difficult or not guaranteed, not affordable and not sustainable.
If expressing breastmilk, the extra basic measures that can be followed includes:
– Hand washing for at least 20 seconds before hand expression.
– Wear a mask while expressing.
– Ensuring that milk storage containers and feeding utensils or breast milk pumps need to be appropriately washed after every use with liquid soap, such as dish washing liquid and warm water.
Rinse after with hot water for 10-15 seconds. Breast pumps if used should not be shared between
mothers.
Is it advisable for a mother with confirmed/suspected COVID-19 or any other respiratory infections who is breastfeeding, to give a ‘top-up’ with infant formula milk?
• No. If a mother is breastfeeding, there is no need to provide a ‘top-up’ with an infant formula milk.
• Giving a ‘top-up’ will reduce the amount of breast milk produced by a mother.
• Mothers who are worried about not having enough breast milk should:
– Make sure that their baby is positioned and attached effectively on the breast and to seek
additional practical help from a health worker or a lactation consultant.
– Respond to their infants’ hunger and feeding cues and breastfeed their baby as much as the baby
wants.
Please note for any enquiries or for more information on breastfeeding contact your
nearest clinic, dietitian at your local hospital or private doctor.
