The effects of the covid-19 pandemic in breastfeeding

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-2019 pandemic has placed extensive strain on health systems and posed a serious public health challenge worldwide. Lockdown measures implemented in many countries have slowed the spread of the virus. However, a significant number of people have faced unprecedented pressure, especially pregnant and breastfeeding women, because personal and professional support has been reduced during the lockdown in many countries.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze and evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on breastfeeding.
Material and method: A systematic literature review was used by searching for English articles, which was carried out in electronic databases, such as PubMed, Medline, Cinahl and scientific journals. The search time frames of the articles were from 2020 to 2022.
Results: The COVID-19 pandemic and curfew measures affected mothers’ intention to breastfeed. However, the practice of breastfeeding was maintained during the pandemic. The analysis of findings in the present study highlight the importance of infant feeding support, as well as the potential beneficial effects of increased mother-infant contact during the quarantine period, which is important even under normal circumstances.
Conclusions: Understanding how the pandemic, caused by COVID-19, has affected breastfeeding practice is crucial to gain a global perspective of its impact on various aspects related to public health, but and to streamline the organization of perinatal health care in future waves or events.