Masks help new moms with COVID-19 safely breastfeed their babies
Mothers with COVID-19 at delivery can breastfeed their newborns without passing along the infection, as long as they take certain safety precautions. Wearing a surgical mask while nursing and cleaning hands before handling their babies kept the coronavirus from spreading from mothers to their infants, a new study finds. It adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests babies are rarely becoming infected after birth and getting severely ill from the virus. The study took place at three hospitals in New York City, the initial epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. Doctors identified 120 babies born from late March to mid-May to 116 women who were positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. After donning surgical masks (SN: 6/26/20) and cleaning hands, the mothers could hold their babies within the first hour of birth. Early skin-to-skin contact promotes bonding and breastfeeding and has other health benefits. None of the babies were positive...