Can you still breastfeed if you have COVID-19?

Health officials say there are ways to keep your newborn safe

SALEM, Ore. (KOIN) – If you have COVID-19 and a new baby is at home, health officials say current evidence suggests that breast milk is unlikely to spread the virus to an infant.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with COVID-19 who continue to breastfeed should wash their hands before breastfeeding and wear a mask while breastfeeding, even if you are within 6 feet of your baby.

The CDC says people with COVID-19 who choose to express breast milk should use their own breast pump and not share it with anyone else, if possible. Other recommendations include wearing a mask while pumping and washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before touching any part of the pump or bottle.

CDC mentioned above website. “Face coverings or masks may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or accidental suffocation and strangulation.”

Until your COVID-19 quarantine is over, the agency recommends that you use a healthy caregiver who is fully vaccinated and is not at higher risk of severe illness to care for your infant. your birth.

The agency added: “Once your quarantine is over, you should still wash your hands before caring for your newborn, but you don’t need to take other precautions. “You most likely won’t transmit the virus to your infant or any other close contact after the quarantine period is over.”

Follow Oregon Health Authority, most babies of people who have COVID-19 during pregnancy do not have COVID-19 when they are born. However, some infants test positive for COVID-19 shortly after birth.

OHA spokesman Jonathan Modie said: “We do not know if these infants were infected with the virus before, during or after birth. “Most infants who test positive for COVID-19 are mild or asymptomatic and have recovered. Reports say some infants have developed severe COVID-19 illness. ”

For more information about breastfeeding or caring for your newborn during COVID-19, visit Centers for Disease Control and Preventthe Web of.