Early Essential Newborn Care can still be used with mothers who have COVID-19 if effective infection control measures are applied

Acta Paediatr. 2021 Jul;110(7):1991-1994. doi: 10.1111/apa.15837. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Abstract

We describe the first infant born to a woman with COVID-19 in Vietnam, by Caesarean section at 36 weeks and 5 days of gestation. The mother and baby remained together during their hospital stay and prolonged skin-to-skin contact and early and exclusive breastfeeding were achieved. This was in line with the World Health Organization's Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC) recommendations, the national Vietnamese standard of care since 2014. The baby remained virus-free throughout the 34-day postpartum follow-up. CONCLUSION: The EENC approach can still be used with mothers who have COVID-19 if effective infection control measures are applied.

Keywords: COVID-19; Caesarean section; Early Essential Newborn Care; breastfeeding; skin-to-skin contact.

MeSH terms

  • Breast Feeding
  • COVID-19*
  • Cesarean Section
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infection Control
  • Mothers*
  • Pregnancy
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Vietnam