Breastfeeding Success and Newborn Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic:A Single-Centre Comparative Study

Introduction: Due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, adjustments in patient and visitor traffic were made in hospitals to limit viral exposure. The primary objective of our study was to compare the breastfeeding success of healthy newborns in a maternity ward during the 2020 lockdown period compared with the same period in the previous year. Material and Methods: Single-center comparative study based on prospectively collected data. All neonates born alive, from a single pregnancy, and with a gestational age greater than 36 weeks were considered for this study. Results: 309 infants born in 2020 and 330 born in 2019 were included. Among women who desired to exclusively breastfeed, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge from the maternity ward was higher in 2020 than in 2019 (85 vs. 79%; p = 0.078). After logistic regression analysis adjusted for potential confounders (i.e., maternal BMI, parity, mode of delivery, gestational age, and size at birth), study period remained significantly and independently associated with exclusive breastfeeding at discharge (OR [95% CI] = 1.645 [1.005; 2.694]; p = 0.046). Newborns born in 2020 were less likely to have weight loss >= 10% than those born in 2019 (OR [95% CI] = 2.596 [1.148; 5.872]; p = 0.017) but had similar need for phototherapy (p = 0.41). Conclusion: The success of exclusive breastfeeding during the 2020 lockdown period was increased compared with the same period in 2019.