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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.
Background:
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic emerged in December 2019 and spread rapidly worldwide. So far, evidence regarding the breastfeeding and rooming-in management of mothers with COVID-19 and their newborn infants is scarce.
Research Aims:
1) To assess the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge among mothers with COVID-19 and their newborn infants managed either using a rooming-in or a separation regimen; and 2) to evaluate different neonatal outcomes, including the need for re-hospitalization related to COVID-19 among newborn infants in the two groups.
Method:
We conducted a retrospective two-group comparative observational study. The sample was participants with COVID-19 and their newborn infants (N = 155 dyads) between March 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021. Two time periods were outlined resulting from the two different clinical practices of mother-infant separation and rooming-in.
Results:
Within the sample, 145 (93.5%) were asymptomatic. All neonates had documented Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) test results, and six tested positive by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction within 48 hr of life. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding was significantly higher (p < .0001) within the rooming-in group. Length of hospital stay was significantly lower (p = .001) within the rooming-in group.
Conclusions:
Protected rooming-in practice has proven to be safe and effective in supporting breastfeeding: None of the infants enrolled were hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection and the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge was increased compared to those infants separated from their mothers.
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