Rooming-In Practice During the Pandemic: Results From a Retrospective Cohort Study

Simonetta Costa1,2, Francesca Priolo1, Simona Fattore2

  • 1Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute della Donna, del Bambino e di Sanità Pubblica, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.

Insights

Rooming-in care for mothers with COVID-19 significantly increased exclusive breastfeeding rates and reduced hospital stays. This practice proved safe and effective for mother-infant dyads during the pandemic.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Infectious disease epidemiology
  • Maternal-infant health

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic created uncertainty regarding infant feeding and care practices for infected mothers.
  • Limited evidence existed on breastfeeding and rooming-in for mothers with COVID-19 and their newborns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare exclusive breastfeeding rates at discharge between COVID-19 positive mothers using rooming-in versus separation.
  • To evaluate neonatal outcomes, including re-hospitalization, in both management groups.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective comparative observational study of 155 mother-infant dyads with COVID-19.
  • Data collected between March 2020 and April 2021, comparing rooming-in and separation practices.

Main Results:

  • Exclusive breastfeeding at discharge was significantly higher in the rooming-in group (p < .0001).
  • Infants in the rooming-in group had a significantly shorter hospital stay (p = .001).
  • Most mothers (93.5%) were asymptomatic; no infants were hospitalized for COVID-19.

Conclusions:

  • Protected rooming-in is safe and effective for supporting breastfeeding among mothers with COVID-19.
  • Rooming-in increased exclusive breastfeeding rates compared to maternal-infant separation.
  • This practice supports positive neonatal outcomes and reduces hospital length of stay.
Abstract

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