Hyderabad: No mom milk for babies of Covid +ve at Gandhi

Hyderabad: Babies born to Covid-19 positive mothers are being bottle-fed in the State. Two virus-infected pregnant women from the city underwent delivery at Gandhi hospital last week and both delivered healthy babies, each weighing nearly 3 kg. Since the two mothers are positive, doctors at Gandhi have preferred bottled milk (infant formula milk) to mother's milk given the high risk of infection.

It may be noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has informed that no cases where the novel coronavirus has been transmitted through breast milk or breast feeding has been detected till date. Hence, women with confirmed Covid-19 can breastfeed if they wish to do, but taking precautions.

The HoD ( Gynecology) at Gandhi hospital Dr G Mahalakshmi stated that the new born baby could be breastfed or be given extracted milk from mother but with extra precaution. Although no case of virus passing through mother milk has been seen anywhere in the world, chance of baby developing infection during the course of mother giving milk cannot be ruled out if proper hygienic methods are not followed. Not taking any risk, new born babies are being given infant formula milk for the time being and the mothers could start breast feeding once they are cured, Dr Mahalakshmi said.

Echoing her views, Dr Saroja Banothu, a senior gynecologist from Rainbow Children's Hospital, LB Nagar, observed that there are chances of newborn baby developing infection from outside ( if not from mother's milk) in case mother sneezes and droplets fall on the baby. Parents have to be counselled about transmission risks associated with breastfeeding if proper sterile procedures are not followed.

Dr Saroja pointed out there are studies as far as HIV positive mothers are concerned, which state about 30 per cent chance for transmission to be passed through mother's milk but nothing like that was detected in case of Covid-19. If educated parents are confident of taking precautions then the newborn could be given mother's milk, she felt.