Breastfeeding and the Coronavirus: What We Know Right Now

With the changes in the spread of the Coronavirus, there are many unknowns when it comes to breastfeeding, but we are continuing to follow developments with a keen eye.

At Wumblekin, we believe in providing our community with information that is backed by science.

As of August 2021, breastfeeding, even with COVID-19, is recommended and beneficial since you pass on antibodies to your infant. According to the latest WHO research, the benefits of breastfeeding greatly outweighs the risk of transmission. And of course, everyone, but especially mamas, should continue to be diligent about mask wearing and hand washing.

Our best advice? Be very flexible with your birth and breastfeeding plan. 

Fed is Best

It is important to remember that a fed baby is the most important goal for them to thrive. If you decide to use formula as a precaution, rest assured that you are doing what is best for your baby...  making sure they are fed.

One of our Certified Nurse-Midwives shares her experience with bottle feeding:

"I had an emergent cesarean section, and my son was in the NICU for 24 hours. Because of this, he received a bottle as his first feed, and he and I never quite got the latch thing down well. It was painful for me; he cried constantly, I cried. When I switched to bottle feeding, I felt a tremendous amount of guilt that I was doing something wrong. After I learned to forgive myself, life was so much more pleasant when he could feed easily, and I was not walking around the house with saline pads on my nipples and crying during feedings, pumping, and cleaning bottles in between feedings. "He is now 17, has a 4.0GPA, and is smarter than my husband, and I combined - I think he did just fine with formula." - Maryanne Scherer, CNM