Illness

The theme of Breastfeeding Week 2023 is “Let's make breastfeeding and work work”.

Stopping neonatal resuscitation is recommended in the following situations:
In newly born babies with no detectable heart rate after 10 minutes of effective ventilation
In newly born babies who continue to have a heartrate below 60/minute and no spontaneous breathing after 20 minutes of resuscitation

In newly-born babies who do not start breathing despite thorough drying and additional stimulation, positive-pressure ventilation should be initiated within one minute after birth.
- In newly-born term or preterm (>32 weeks gestation) babies requiring positivepressure ventilation, ventilation should be initiated with air,using a self-inflating bag and mask.
- In newly-born babies requiring positive-pressure ventilation, adequacy of ventilation should be assessed by measurement of the heart rate after 60 seconds of ventilation with visible chest movements.

Immediately after birth, it is recommended to dry the baby and check if he/she is breathing or crying. When newborns do not breathe or do not cry spontaneously after complete drying, they should be stimulated by rubbing the back 2 to 3 times before the cord clamping. The drying procedure should be gentle, on the back, with a clean, dry compress.
If after rubbing the back 2 to 3 times the baby does not breathe or cry, clamping of the umbilical cord is recommended to initiate positive pressure-ventilation within the first postnatal minute.

To date, active COVID-19 (virus that can cause infection) has not been detected in the breastmilk of any mother with confirmed/suspected COVID-19. It appears unlikely, therefore, that COVID-19 would be transmitted through breastfeeding or by giving breastmilk that has been expressed by a mother who is confirmed/suspected to have COVID-19

Mothers with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 are advised to wear a medical mask, but even if this is not possible, breastfeeding should be continued.
It is important to replace medical masks as soon as they become damp and dispose of them immediately. Masks should not be reused or touched in the front but to remove it from behind.
It is important to follow other infection prevention measures, such as washing hands, cleaning surfaces, and covering the mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing or coughing.

In all socio-economic settings, breastfeeding improves survival and provides lifelong health and development advantages to newborns and infants. Breastfeeding also improves the health of mothers. Transmission of active COVID-19 (virus that can cause infection) through breast milk and breastfeeding has not been detected to date. Therefore, there is no reason to avoid or discontinue breastfeeding.

To support countries in adapting their response to different COVID-19 scenarios, the World Health Organization (WHO) Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing commissioned this scoping review of published and grey literature. The objective was to identify interventions implemented to maintain the provision and use of essential services for MNCAAH during disruptive events and to summarize lessons learned during these interventions.