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Covid-19: Breastfeeding can protect your baby from the virus

Dubai - Breastfeeding also increases immunity of the mother as she feeds the baby, doctor says.

Did you know that breast milk produces antibodies which protects the baby from getting any kind of infection, including various viruses. As the Word Breastfeeding Week (WBW) concludes on August 7, practitioners and health authorities create awareness and reiterate about the forgotten benefits of breast feeding in the least incurred cost.

Even with the Covid pandemic around, the authorities concluded that women must continue breastfeeding their children even if they are infected with Covid-19.

Ayesha Abrar, a certified breastfeeding counsellor by the Sharjah Supreme Council of Family Affairs, says she has met a number of Covid positive women who said they continued to breastfeed their baby albeit with all precautions such as wearing a mask, and their babies remained absolutely clear of the virus.

In fact, Abrar said that not only does breastfeeding protects babies from all sorts of diseases as it is loaded with nutrients, antibodies and enzymes but also increases immunity of the mother as she feeds the baby, since she consciously eats good nutrient-based food to feed the child.

Rabbia Khan, specialist general surgeon at Mediclinic City Hospital, said that although doctors cannot say with surety if a pregnant woman with Covif-19 can pass the virus to her fetus or baby during pregnancy or delivery, however, she added that active virus has not been found in samples of fluid around the baby in the womb or breastmilk.

“The WHO recommends that mothers with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 should be encouraged to initiate or continue to breastfeed. Mothers should be counselled that the benefits of breastfeeding substantially outweigh the potential risks for transmission. Protective antibodies have been detected in breastmilk of mothers with previous Covid-19 infection along with multiple bioactive components have been identified in breastmilk that not only protect against infections but improve neurocognitive and immunologic development of the child,” Dr Khan said.

Dr Khan advised that since the pandemic, more mothers are working from home, therefore, they get more time to spend with their child, this she said they must use to breast feed the child.

“The new, first time young mothers, needs a lot of encouragement and support from their family when it comes to breast feeding, as it can be hard at times, especially if they develop infection in the breast called mastitis. We advise them to continue feeding from the affected breast, while taking treatment for mastitis as it’s a common myth that this milk is bad. We can never emphasize enough on the importance of breast feeding, it’s a priceless gift of nature for the little ones and no formula can replace it,” Dr Khan concluded.

MoHAP marks breastfeeding week

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), jointly with the Emirates Health Services (EHS) and other local health authorities, had launched a series of activities to mark World Breastfeeding Week, which is held under the theme “Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility”. The aim of these initiatives was to enhance community awareness about breastfeeding, consolidate its practices, and encourage the work to protect breastfeeding in order to improve the public health.

The activities include awareness lectures that are going to take place in hospitals and health centers about the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and children and the need for work to protect it. Other activities include posting awareness-raising messages on the ministry’s social media platforms about the benefits of breastfeeding and its role in improving children’s physical and mental health and protecting them from infections and diseases.

Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Health Centers and Clinics Sector and Public Health, noted that the ministry’s participation in this occasion comes as part of its commitment to raising awareness of breastfeeding and its role in improving the physical and mental health of the mother and child, stressing that increasing breastfeeding rates are the perfect way for having good family relationships and achieving a healthy society in which the individuals enjoy their health and wellbeing.