Nearly 1 in 5 hospitals reduced in-person lactation support and nearly three-quarters discharged new mothers in less than 48 hours to lessen the risk of contracting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, according to a CDC report.
Early in the pandemic, hospitals received mixed guidance on caring for new mothers with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and their newborns. The World Health Organization recommended mothers with COVID-19 practice skin-to-skin care, room with their baby, and breastfeed directly while masked unless they were too ill to do so. The American Academy of Family Physicians offered similar guidance; the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended shared decision-making between mothers and their care team. The CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics initially recommended temporarily separating mothers with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 from their newborns, but later updated their guidance to support skin-to-skin contact, rooming-in, and breastfeeding with certain precautions.