The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every facet of life, beginning with the first hours and days after birth. In an effort to ‘‘bend the curve,’’ some have argued that the prudent course is to isolate infants from mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in order to reduce the risk of transmission from mother to baby.
Data are limited, and recommendations for the first days after birth differ. The World Health Organization (WHO)1 recommends that infants and mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 ‘‘should be enabled to remain together and practice skin-to-skin contact, kangaroo care and to remain together and to practice rooming in throughout the day and night.’’
Breastfeeding is strongly recommended, given its known lifelong importance for maternal and child health. Mothers are encouraged to wash their hands, wear a mask if they have a cough, and routinely disinfect surfaces that they have touched.