Breastfeeding is a cornerstone of the survival of the infant, nutrition, development, and maternal health. You must understand that breastfeeding is particularly beneficial against contagious diseases as it strengthens the infant’s immune system by directly transferring the antibodies from the mother. Some of the precautions that mothers should take in both cases -while breastfeeding a child when having the symptoms of coronavirus are as follows.

Continue to breastfeed while taking care of hygiene, suggests Gary Saitowitz

All the mothers get instructed to proceed to breastfeed by adopting care and hygiene while feeding. The 3W’s that are associated with breastfeeding are as follows:

  • Wash hands using soap before and after touching the child or expressing breastmilk either by hand expression or using a breast pump.
  • Wear a mask when feeding a child either directly at the breast or from a bottle.
  • Wipe and sanitize the surfaces regularly.

If a family member in a household suffers from the coronavirus, you can protect your baby by following the 3W mentioned above. 

Take additional hygiene measures and continue to breastfeed even if you fall sick

If a mother gets infected by coronavirus shortly before giving birth and breastfeeding and also during breastfeeding, then she should not panic. Several studies show that antibodies get produced in the mother’s milk during breastfeeding, which protects the baby, targets the virus in human milk, and strengthens the babies’ immune responses. Therefore, you can say that breastfeeding a baby is the best way to fight the coronavirus and protect the baby against it.

  • You should keep in mind that if a mother is suffering from any coronavirus symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, breathing problems, she should immediately consult the healthcare provider. 
  • But mothers should continue to breastfeed their infant by taking extra care of the hygiene and following the 3W, which will protect the infant.
  • Use the cup and spoon to feed the babies with expressed breastmilk when too sick to breastfeed.

The coronavirus spreads when people are in close contact and when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or talks. Therefore, you can say that breastfeeding is safe for infants. But if a mother is too sick to breastfeed the baby, she should immediately consult a health care provider and follow the instructions provided. 

In such a situation, the baby can be given the expressed milk and then ask a non-infected family member to feed the baby with a clean cup and spoon. If you want your baby to be safe and healthy, then all the household members should follow the 3W. 

According to Gary Saitowitz, breastfeeding is an ideal way for the healthy and wholesome growth of infants. If mothers are too sick to breastfeed their infant, they should express the breast milk, and a healthy individual should feed the baby. Few are the situations in which formula milk acts as a substitute. In these conditions, babies should be fed strictly according to the wrappers’ instructions and sterilizing all apparatus used. At all times, it is essential to follow the 3Ws.