Expert: Breastfeeding can continue after Covid-19 vax

Image by Manojiit Tamen from Pixabay
Image by Manojiit Tamen from Pixabay

Lactating mothers can continue breastfeeding their babies after being inoculated with any Covid-19 vaccine, a Filipino health expert assured.

The expert, Dr. Maria Asuncion A. Silvestre, Health Professionals Alliance Against Covid-19 – Kalusugan ng Mag-Ina member, in an online media briefing, said “it is not recommended to discontinue breastfeeding either after or even before vaccination.”  

Silvestre reported that the Philippine Pediatric Society on March 21 released an advisory stating all Covid-19 vaccines may be offered to breastfeeding women after consultation with their physician and not be advised to discontinue breastfeeding.

She also cited a study in the United States on the presence of antibodies of six mothers who received Covid-19 shots and continued to breastfeed. “This is very preliminary. This is very early evidence that there could be a large potential benefit of a vaccinated person who breastfeeds passing on antibodies against COVID-19 virus to their own infant,” she said.

In the same forum, Silvestre shared the story of ‘Trizia’, a registered nutritionist-dietician who contacted her through Messenger to ask about breastfeeding after getting vaccinated against Covid-19.

“She [Trizia] contracted Covid-19 in 2020; she breastfed her baby throughout her Covid-19 illness. She did well, after her vaccination despite mild fever and muscle aches, they both did well and she was back to work after 48 hours,” she said.

Despite limited data on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines among breastfeeding women, Silvestre emphasized that the World Health Organization recommended vaccination for breastfeeding women if they are part of the priority group for inoculation.