If you are breastfeeding you’ve most likely been worrying about what you’ll do should you contract COVID-19. Will you still be able to breastfeed? Won’t you make your baby sick? What if she doesn’t want to drink from a bottle? She’ll starve…
We’ve got great news moms – the coronavirus cannot be transmitted to your baby through your breast milk.
“I can assure you that the COVID-19 virus has not been found in breast milk and research evidence has shown that the virus is not transmitted through breast milk or through expressed breast milk from a mother who has tested positive for COVID-19 or suspects that she has the virus,” Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said at the launch of Breastfeeding Week today.
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He also encouraged mothers to continue breastfeeding if they did test positive for COVID-19, or suspect that they might have the virus. “Mothers must practice good respiratory hygiene like wearing a mask, washing your hands frequently with soap and water, using hand sanitisers and frequently disinfecting commonly used surfaces,” when breastfeeding he said.
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