Rooming in, KMC and Exclusive Breastfeeding in COVID Era-A Pediatrician’s Dilemma

In-hospital breastfeeding and predictive factors during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A retrospective cohort study - Aleitamento materno hospitalar e fatores preditores durante a pandemia pelo SARS-CoV-2: Coorte retrospectiva

PURPOSE

To analyze breastfeeding and the factors that positively influence the first hour of life, during hospitalization, and at discharge during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

DESIGN AND METHOD

This is a retrospective cohort study, with data collected from medical records. Consisting of 225 mother-newborn dyads with deliveries between 2020 and 2021. Breastfeeding in the first hour of life, during hospitalization, and at discharge was considered as the outcome variable. The independent variables were sociodemographic, obstetric, and neonatal data. The analysis was performed with bivariate and multivariate regression through a generalized linear model (Poisson family), with a 5% significance level. It was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), under approval number 4,911,317.

RESULT

Newborns of women without COVID-19 suspicion or diagnosis and who had skin-to-skin contact with their mother at birth are twice as likely to be breastfed in the first hour of life. Absence of complications in the newborn during hospitalization and no COVID-19 suspicion or diagnosis double the exclusive breastfeeding rate during hospitalization. Newborns exclusively breastfed during hospitalization present 1.6 times more chances of being exclusively breastfeeding at hospital discharge.

CONCLUSION

It was evidence that women who gave birth without COVID-19 suspicion, and newborns who had skin-to-skin contact with their mother at birth represented a predictive factor for favoring exclusive breastfeeding.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

This research contributes to the innovation of evaluating breastfeeding in the newborn's first hour of life, during hospitalization, and at discharge in a pandemic context.