Relationship Between Maternal COVID-19 Infection and In-Hospital Exclusive Breastfeeding for Term Newborns

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the relationship between maternal COVID-19 infection and the odds of in-hospital exclusive breastfeeding for term newborns. DesignRetrospective descriptive quantitative. SettingA large, urban hospital with more than 6,000 births annually. SampleTerm newborns born between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021 (N = 6,151). MethodsWe retrospectively extracted data from electronic health records to evaluate the relationship of maternal COVID-19 infection with the odds of in-hospital exclusive breastfeeding using univariate analysis and logistic regression models. The covariates included insurance type, race/ethnicity, glucose gel administration, length of stay, newborn gestational age, newborn birth weight, and maternal COVID-19 infection. ResultsMaternal COVID-19 infection was not significantly related to the odds of in-hospital exclusive breastfeeding (p = .138) after adjustment for covariates in the logistic regression model. However, when newborns who received pasteurized donor human milk supplementation were excluded from the logistic regression model, maternal COVID-19 infection significantly decreased the odds of in-hospital exclusive breastfeeding (p = .043). ConclusionMaternal COVID-19 infection was not significantly related to the odds of in-hospital exclusive breastfeeding when newborns received donor human milk supplementation. Access to donor human milk for supplementation for term newborns may protect the odds of in-hospital exclusive breastfeeding.