From the first days that the coronavirus was detected in China, it has been a concern to know if the virus can be transmitted from mother to child, during pregnancy or at the time of delivery. After more than three months living with COVID-19, various investigations confirm that mother-to-baby transmission during pregnancy is unlikely. Researchers at the University of Nottingham dare to classify it as rare.
But this does not exempt the need to meet a protocol if the baby that is born comes from a woman infected with coronavirus, even if it is asymptomatic. One of the guidelines that must be followed is to give the baby virological tests and clinical follow-ups.
The contagion of the baby of coronavirus is rare
From the beginning, the Spanish Society of Neonatology (seNeo) has created a national registry on SARS-CoV-2 infection in newborns and their mothers to obtain the data that have allowed them to analyze the impact of the pandemic on this group.
In this database it has been registered more than 500 mothers with a positive diagnosis for Covid-19 and their newborns. These data are crossed with those of other international investigations. Thanks to them, it is confirmed that there is no risk of vertical transmission, or that it is very unlikely. The few cases of COVID-19 that have occurred in the babies of mothers with coronavirus were either false positives or possible cases of postnatal infection.
Specifically, in Spain, according to seNeo, there have been 40 cases of babies whose mothers had coronavirus and they have been infected after childbirth. Newborns who have tested positive are, for the most part, asymptomatic. And some have had mild affectation without sequelae. Its main symptom has been a transient high fever with vomiting or coughing. The few most serious cases occurred in preterm infants and those with previous pathologies.
Preeclapsy and coronavirus
A study has discovered that 62,5% of pregnant women who suffer from severe COVID-19, develop a syndrome clinically similar to preeclampsia. This study was developed by the Placental Insufficiency Unit of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and researchers from the Maternal and Fetal Medicine group.
Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy, it usually appears from the 20 gestation week. This can put the life of the mother and the baby at risk. It is characterized by high blood pressure and may be accompanied by a decrease in platelets and an elevation in liver enzymes.
What this research wants to clarify is that the fact that COVID-19 and pre-eclampsia have overlapping clinical features could make diagnosis difficult and even in some cases the diagnosis was incorrect. This is to avoid hasty decisions and premature births. Let's say that there are the same symptoms, but that the causes that cause them are different and therefore the treatment can also differ.
Can I breastfeed my baby if I have coronavirus?
If the mother has tested positive for COVID-19, even if she is asymptomatic, should she give breast milk to the child? In general terms it follows recommending la Breastfeeding due to the great advantages that it has as long as the health conditions of the mother and the baby allow it. In Canada and Germany, cases of the virus have been detected in the mother's milk.
Also the different studies, which have been done over the months, have found that the possibility of the baby being infected with COVID-19 is not greater if it is born vaginally, if it is breastfed or if it has had contact with the mother after delivery. The Ministry of Health has recommended, whenever possible, the joint accommodation, avoiding mother-child separation.
These conclusions contrast with the recommendations that were made at the beginning of the pandemic, on the convenience of performing caesarean sections on women with coronavirus, and keeping both the mother and the baby isolated, without contact between them.