Study suggests coronavirus spread from mother to baby uncommon during delivery

A new study has found that it is rare for newborns to contract COVID-19 from their mothers as suggested earlier by scientists. The new study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, said that babies that are born vaginally and are breastfed have no greater risk of getting infected than those who are born through the caesarean process. The study contradicted some earlier claims by scientists who suggested mothers have caesarean and go into isolation right after giving birth to reduce the risk of mother-baby coronavirus spread.

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Scientists had earlier issued guidelines that suggested C-section delivery for mothers and formula feed for babies in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission from parents. However, as per the new analysis published in the study, only 2.7 percent of babies delivered vaginally contracted coronavirus in contrast to a 5.3 percent transmission rate in c-section deliveries. The research analysed 666 babies and 655 mothers from 49 different studies into the matter. 

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Similar claims by another study

Another study from Spain suggested that women who go for caesarean delivery rather than normal vaginal delivery are more prone to getting infected by the virus. The study said that 13.5% percent of the 37 women who went for C-section deliveries were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after giving birth. While only 5 percent of women who gave birth vaginally developed a need for oxygen. 

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