Coronavirus Pune: Newborn of a COVID-19 positive woman tests negative

Coronavirus Pune: Newborn of a COVID-19 positive woman tests negative

Pune: A COVID-19 positive woman delivered a healthy baby who tested negative for coronavirus at the Sassoon General Hospital  (SGH) in Pune on Saturday.

As per information shared by officials of SGH, the woman was admitted to the hospital on April 18 and the baby was delivered via c-section later that night. 

The baby has tested negative for the coronavirus, results of which were received on later on Sunday. 

Doctors said that the mother and child are both in a stable condition. The baby weighs around 3.5kg and is currently separated from the mother and is under the special care of the hospital staff.

The doctors at SGH said that as the mother is COVID-19 positive, she will be kept in isolation. The hospital authorities informed that there is one 20-weeks-pregnant woman with COVID-19 positive status and is in stable condition, in addition to five children who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are kept in isolation wards.

Similar cases of COVID-19 positive woman delivering healthy and COVID-19 negative babies were reported earlier in Aurangabad and New Delhi.

Vertical transmission probable

Recently, a report by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) stated that vertical transmission (transmission from mother to baby antenatally or intrapartum) is probable. 

However, the proportion of pregnancies affected and the significance to the neonate has yet to be determined.

“At present, there are no recorded cases of vaginal secretions being tested positive for COVID-19. At present, there are no recorded cases of breast milk being tested positive for COVID-19,” the report stated. 

Breastfeeding within the first two hours of delivery is considered very important for the health of the newborn as the baby receives nutrient-rich Collustrum from the mother. However, with deliveries involving COVID-19 patients, breastfeeding becomes difficult due to isolation. 

The ICMR, in such cases, suggests that during temporary separation, mothers who intend to breastfeed should be encouraged to express their breast milk to establish and maintain milk supply.

“If possible, a dedicated breast pump should be provided. Before expressing breastmilk, mothers should practise hand hygiene. After each pumping session, all parts that come into contact with breast milk should be thoroughly washed, and the entire pump should be appropriately disinfected as per the manufacturer’s instructions.”

The guidelines also say that “This expressed breast milk should be fed to the newborn by a healthy caregiver. If a mother and newborn do room-in and the mother wishes to feed at the breast, she should put on a facemask and practice hand hygiene before each feeding.”

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