BREASTFEEDING AND COVID-19 QUESTIONS
ASKED IN EXAMINATION
BREASTFEEDING
Question: When should a mother start breastfeeding?
Answer: Breastfeeding should always begin within half an hour of birth
Question: What is the colostrum and how can it advantage / benefits the infant?
Answer: Colostrum is the first thick milk produced by the mother immediately after birth, which is a deep yellow color. This milk is rich in nutrients and antibodies, which provide complete nutrition to the baby and prevent the baby from getting sick and infections.
Question: Why breastfeeding is significant / important for a baby?
Answer: Breastmilk gives the right amount of essential nutrients for a baby, protects the baby from infection and illness and ensures a good survival in the first year as the baby becomes infected during this period.
Question: Explain the advantage/benefit of breastfeeding?
Answer: Benefit of breastfeeding in reducing the risk of certain health conditions such as depression, heart disease, cancer of the ovaries and breast cancer. It also helps the mother to lose weight after delivery.
Question: How long a mother ought to breastfeed her child?
Answer: Exclusive breastfeeding should continue for 6 months after birth. It should then be continued with other supplements aged 2 years or older.
Question: How often should breastfeeding be done in the first few weeks?
Answer: Breastfeed a baby on demand or at least 8 times a day or every 2-3 hours
Question: How does a mother breastfeed?
Answer: Breastfeeding is a technique in which the baby is placed in the correct position, which helps the baby to put locks on the breast.
Question: Why is it recommended to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months?
Answer: International guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months based on the scientific evidence of benefits for infant survival, growth and development. Breastfeeding provides all the energy and nutrients a baby needs during the first six months. Specialized breastfeeding can reduce infant mortality due to childhood illnesses such as diarrhea and pneumonia, accelerate recovery during illness, and aid in space births.
Question: Should the mother use both breasts?
Answer: If a baby completes the first breast during feeding, offer the second at the next feeding, as there are two types of milk that produce milk and high-fat milk during each feeding-thirst. The baby needs both very much. As long as your baby is comfortable and well, mothers are doing exactly that.
Question: Is it safe for a breastfeeding mother to smoke, drink or take drugs?
Answer: The breastfeeding mother should always abstain from alcohol and tobacco. Some medications can easily pass through breast milk and can harm the baby so the mother should always consult a doctor before taking the medication.
Question: How should breast milk be pumped and stored?
Answer: If the mother is unable to breastfeed directly, breast milk can be pumped out by hand, manual pump or electric breast pump. It should be stored immediately under refrigeration for 3 to 8 days. Heat the milk in hot tap water before using but do not microwave.
Question: What are the myths on breastfeeding?
Answer: Common Myths- 1. Frequent feeding does not improve milk production 2. Milk "First milk (colostrum) is not good for the baby 3. Breastfeeding takes 5-10 minutes to get all the milk the baby needs 4. Breastfeeding mother should empty feedings to give her time to fill her breasts 5. These are baseless myths, which should be thrown away.
BREASTFEEDING COVID-19
Question: Can COVID-19 be pass through breastfeeding?
Answer: Active COVID-19 (virus which will cause infection) has not, to date, been detected within the breast milk of any mother with confirmed/suspected COVID-19. It seems unlikely; therefore, that COVID-19 would be transmitted through breastfeeding or by giving breast milk that has been expressed by a mother who is confirmed /suspected to possess COVID-19. Researchers still check breast milk from mothers with confirmed/suspected COVID-19.
Question: In communities wherever COVID-19 is prevailing, should mother’s breastfeed?
Answer: Yes. Altogether socio-economic settings, breastfeeding improve survival and provide womb-to-tomb health and development benefits to newborns and infants. Breastfeeding conjointly improves the health of mothers. In distinction, transmission of COVID-19 through breastmilk and breastfeeding has not been detected.
Question: Following delivery, should a baby still be at once placed skin-to-skin and breastfed if the mother is confirmed/suspected to possess COVID-19?
Answer: Yes. Immediate and continued skin-to-skin care, as well as kangaroo mother care, improves thermal regulation of newborns and a number of other physiological outcomes, and is related to reduced fatality rate. Putting the newborn to the mother conjointly allows early initiation of breastfeeding that conjointly reduces fatality rate. The various advantages of skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding considerably outweigh the potential risks of transmission and sickness related to COVID-19.
Question: If a mother is confirmed/suspected to possess COVID-19, should she continue breastfeeding?
Answer: Yes. Top quality proof shows that breastfeeding reduces neonate, infant and child mortality as well as in high resource settings and improves womb-to-tomb health and development altogether geographies and economic settings. The transmission of COVID-19 through breastmilk and breastfeeding has not been detected. Among the few cases of confirmed COVID-19 infection in children from different sources, most have full-fledged solely delicate or symptomless sickness. While breastfeeding, a mother should still implement acceptable hygiene measures, as well as sporting a medical mask if accessible, to reduce the likelihood of droplets with COVID-19 being spread to her child.
Question: What are the hygiene recommendations for a breastfeeding mother confirmed/suspected to possess COVID-19?
Answer: If a mother is confirmed/suspected to possess COVID-19 she should: 1. Wash hands frequently with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand rub, particularly before touching the baby 2. Wear a medical mask whereas feeding. It’s vital to: 3. Replace masks as shortly as they become damp eliminate masks at once 4. Not re-use a mask 5. Not bit the front of the mask however untie it from behind 6. Sneeze or cough into a tissue, at once eliminate it and use alcohol-based hand rub or wash hands once more with soap and clean water 7. Frequently disinfect and clean surfaces
Question: If a mother confirmed/suspected to possess COVID-19 doesn't have a medical mask should she still breastfeed?
Answer: Yes. Breastfeeding unquestionably reduces baby and fatality rate and provides various womb-to-tomb health and brain development benefits to the infant/ kid. Mothers with symptoms of COVID-19 area unit suggested to wear a medical mask, however though this is often inconceivable, breastfeeding should be continued. Different infection prevention measures, like hands washing, surfaces cleaning, inborn reflex or coughing into a tissue also are vital. Non-medical masks (e.g. home-made or cloth masks) haven't been evaluated. At this point, it's inconceivable to form a recommendation for or against their use.
Question: Is it necessary for a mother with confirmed/ suspected COVID-19 to clean her breast before she breastfeeds directly or before expressing milk?
Answer: If a mother is confirmed/suspected to possess COVID-19 has simply coughed over her exposed breast or chest, then she should gently wash the breast with soap and hot water for a minimum of twenty seconds before feeding. It’s not necessary to clean the breast before each feeding or before expressing milk.
Question: If a mother confirmed/suspected to possess COVID-19 isn't ready to breastfeed what's the most effective way to feed her newborn/infant?
Answer: The best alternatives to breastfeeding a newborn or young child are: Expressed Breastmilk
1. Expression of breastmilk is primarily done or taught through hand expression, with the employment of a mechanical pump only if necessary. Hand expression and employing a pump is equally effective.
2. The selection of the way to categorical can rely upon maternal preference, convenience of apparatus, hygiene conditions and price.
3. Expressing breastmilk is additionally vital to sustain milk production in order that mothers will feed after they recover.
4. The mother, and anyone serving to the mother, should wash their hands before expressing breastmilk or touching any pump or bottle elements and guarantee correct pump improvement once every use.
5. The expressed breastmilk should be fed to the child ideally employing a clean cup and/or spoon (easier to clean), by someone who has no signs or symptoms of sickness and with whom the baby feels comfortable.
6. The mother/caregiver should wash their hands before feeding the newborn/infant. Donor human milk
a. If the mother is unable to express milk and milk is on the market from a human milk bank, donor human can be fed to the baby whereas the mother is ill.
b. If expressing breastmilk or donor human milk aren't possible or accessible, then consider:
c. Wet-nursing (another women breastfeeds the child)
d. Child formula milk with measures to confirm that it's possible, properly ready, safe and property
Question: Is it safe to allow expressed breastmilk from a mother confirmed/suspected to possess COVID-19?
Answer: Yes. Active COVID-19 virus has not, to date, been detected within the breastmilk of any mother confirmed/ suspected to possess COVID-19. it's unlikely that the virus is transmitted by giving breastmilk that has been expressed by a mother with confirmed/suspected COVID-19. If a mother with confirmed/suspected COVID-19 is expressing her milk for her baby, what measures required once handling the breastmilk pump, milk storage containers or feeding utensils? Even once COVID-19 isn't a thought, breastmilk pumps, milk storage containers and feeding utensils should correctly cleansed once each use. Wash the pump/containers once each use with soap, e.g. detergent and heat water. Use hot water to rinse for 10-15 seconds. Some breast pumps parts is place at the top of rack of a dishwasher (if available).
Question: If a mother confirmed/suspected to possess COVID-19 was unable to breastfeed as a result of she was too sick or owing to another sickness, when will she begin to breastfeed again?
Answer: A mother will begin breastfeed when she feels to an adequate degree to do so. There is no fixed time interval to wait after confirmed/suspected COVID-19. There is no proof that breastfeeding changes the clinical course of COVID-19 in a mother. She ought to be supported in her general health and nutrition to substantiate full recovery. She should even be supported to initiate breastfeeding or relactate.
Question: Do the results of COVID-19 testing create any difference to child and young infant feeding recommendations?
Answer: COVID-19 testing doesn't have any immediate implications for choices on child and young infant feeding. However, confirmation of COVID-19 implies that a mother should implement acceptable suggested hygiene practices for the amount that she is probably going to be infective i.e. whereas symptomatic or through the fourteen days once the beginning of symptoms, whichever is longer.
Question: Is it suggested for a mother with confirmed/ suspected COVID-19 who is breastfeeding, to allow a ‘top-up’ with child formula milk?
Answer: No. If a mother is confirmed/suspected to possess COVID-19 and is breastfeeding, there is no need to offer‘top-up’ formula milk. Giving a ‘top-up’ can scale back the quantity of milk created by a mother. Mothers who feed ought to be counselled and supported to optimise positioning and attachment to confirm adequate milk production. Mothers should be counselled concerning responsive feeding and perceived milk insufficiency and the way to reply to their infants’ hunger and feeding cues to extend the frequency of breastfeeding.
Question: For what amount of time are WHO recommendations on Breastfeeding and COVID-19 relevant?
Answer: The recommendations on caring and feeding of infants of mothers with confirmed/suspected COVID-19 are for the time once mother is probably going to be infective, i.e. whereas symptomatic or through the fourteen days once the beginning of symptoms, whichever is longer.
Staying up to date on nursing topics is an important task to keep in mind. Prof. R. P. Saxena founder of www.communityhealthnursing.guru has created this site during COVID-19 Pandemic for all Nursing students, Professional Nurses and Public to keep in touch with current trend in the subject of nursing to excel in their careers. I hope this site will be very useful to all.