Researchers have confirmed that it is safe for lactating mothers to continue breastfeeding after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Current advice from the World Health Organization and the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine recommends breastfeeding mothers to receive the mRNA-based vaccine and to continue breastfeeding. The study, led by Dr. Stephanie Gaw and colleagues from the University of California, San Francisco, supports this recommendation. The findings of the study were recently published in JAMA Pediatrics.
The data from the study contains analysis of 13 breast milk samples from seven lactating mothers who had received the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. The analysis fills a gap in data regarding vaccine safety in pregnant or lactating women, offering reassurance to mothers who have declined the vaccine or who have discontinued breastfeeding due to fears that the vaccine can be transferred to breast milk and impact infant immune responses.
The researchers asserted that no mRNA associated with the vaccine appeared in the breast milk samples collected up to 48 hours after vaccination. As well, the researchers explained that any residual mRNA would be degraded by the infant gastrointestinal system, ensuring that exposure, if taking place at all, is minimised further.
Limitations of the study concern the small sample size and that most women in the study received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The researchers noted that a larger study is necessary to better understand the effect of COVID-19 vaccines on lactation. The OBGYN Cayman Team from Integra Healthcare commented; “Obviously the vaccine in use here in Cayman Islands is the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and so the results do apply. The effects of COVID-19 on unvaccinated women are very worrying, and so this will add further reassurance that the vaccine can be taken without undue concern.”
