Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Apr 25;10(5):771.
doi: 10.3390/children10050771.

The Effect of Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Neonatal Outcome

Melinda Matyas  1 , Madalina Valeanu  2 , Monica Hasmasanu  1 , Bianca Voina  3 , Adelina Tutu  1 , Gabriela C Zaharie  1
Affiliations

The Effect of Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Neonatal Outcome

Melinda Matyas et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

(1) Background: Neonates born to SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers are at risk of infection, as well as adverse outcomes due to the infection. The aim of our study was to analyze the impact of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on neonatal outcome. (2) Methods: We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study. We collected data on maternal symptomatology upon admission and their correlation with the development of the infant. Through a questionnaire we analyzed the impact on breastfeeding of the separation of the mother from the newborn, as well as the maternal psycho-emotional effect. (3) Results: Ninety infants were enrolled in the study, from one twin pregnancy and the rest singleton pregnancies. Out of the 89 mothers, 34 showed symptoms. Neonates from mothers with anosmia and ageusia had a higher value of WBC and lymphocytes (p = 0.06 and p = 0.04). Breastfeeding was started in 57.3% of mothers after their discharge from hospital and only 41.6% of the whole study group continued at the follow-up visit. Mothers who described a negative experience during hospitalization associated a 2.42 times higher risk of not continuing breastfeeding. (4) Conclusion: None of the infants enrolled in the study had SARS-CoV-2 infection either at birth or within the first two months of life. Breastfeeding was started with more than half newborns after discharge from hospital. The negative experience generated by the separation from their babies influenced breastfeeding.

Keywords: COVID-19 infection; breastfeeding; newborn.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Follow-up questionnaire.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The maternal cohort.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Experience of hospital stay on breastfeeding.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hanaei S., Rezaei N. COVID-19: Developing from an Outbreak to A Pandemic. Arch. Med. Res. 2020;51:582–584. doi: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2020.04.021. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zeng L., Xia S., Yuan W., Yan K., Xiao F., Shao J., Zhou W. Neonatal Early-Onset Infection With SARS-CoV-2 in 33 Neonates Born to Mothers With COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. JAMA Pediatr. 2020;174:722–725. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0878. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kc A., Gurung R., Kinney M.V., Sunny A.K., Moinuddin M., Basnet O., Paudel P., Bhattarai P., Subedi K., Shrestha M.P., et al. Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic response on intrapartum care, stillbirth, and neonatal mortality outcomes in Nepal: A prospective observational study. Lancet Glob. Health. 2020;8:e1273–e1281. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30345-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rao S.P.N., Minckas N., Medvedev M.M., Gathara D., Prashantha P.Y., Estifanos A.S., Silitonga A.C., Jadaun A.S., A Adejuyigbe E., Brotherton H., et al. Small and sick newborn care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Global survey and thematic analysis of healthcare providers’ voices and experiences. BMJ Glob. Health. 2021;6:e004347. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004347. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Scala M., Marchman V.A., Brignoni-Pérez E., Morales M.C., Dubner S.E., Travis K.E. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on developmental care practices for infants born preterm. Early Hum. Dev. 2021;163:105483. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2021.105483. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources