Impact of COVID-19 vaccination on breastfeeding

New Rochelle, NY, September 8, 2021—COVID-19 vaccination results in minimal disruption of lactation. Vaccination also has no adverse impact on the breastfed child, according to two studies published in the peer-reviewed journal Breastfeeding Medicine. Click here to read the first article now.

Skyler McLaurin-Jiang, MD, MPH, and coauthors from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, surveyed 4,455 breastfeeding mothers who underwent COVIC-19 vaccination. They reported that 1.7% of respondents reported a negative impact on breastfeeding post-vaccination. Those mothers were more likely to have experienced symptoms associated with the vaccine. “Even among mothers who reported an adverse impact on breastfeeding, maternal opinion about vaccination and confidence in their decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccine were high,” said the authors.

Kerri Bertrand, MPH, and coauthors from the University of California San Diego, enrolled 180 women in the Mommy’s Milk Human Milk Research Biorepository. Few events were reported for children following maternal vaccination with either the first or second dose of vaccine. The most common child events following dose two were irritability, poor sleep, and drowsiness. “These data are reassuring regarding the safety of vaccination in breastfeeding women and their breastfed children with either of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines,” said the authors in their article.   

“These studies reinforce the conclusion that breastfeeding mothers should be vaccinated while continuing to nurse their infants without concern,” says Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 1R21HD104412-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About the Journal
Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, is an authoritative, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal published 10 times per year in print and online. The Journal publishes original scientific papers, reviews, and case studies on a broad spectrum of topics in lactation medicine. It presents evidence-based research advances and explores the immediate and long-term outcomes of breastfeeding, including the epidemiologic, physiologic, and psychological benefits of breastfeeding. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Breastfeeding Medicine website.

About the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) is a worldwide organization of medical doctors dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding. Our mission is to unite members of the various medical specialties with this common purpose.  For more than 20 years, ABM has been bringing doctors together to provide evidence-based solutions to the challenges facing breastfeeding across the globe. A vast body of research has demonstrated significant nutritional, physiological, and psychological benefits for both mothers and children that last well beyond infancy. But while breastfeeding is the foundation of a lifetime of health and well-being, clinical practice lags behind scientific evidence. By building on our legacy of research into this field and sharing it with the broader medical community, we can overcome barriers, influence health policies, and change behaviors.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm's 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publisher’s website.