1. Do mothers need to stop breastfeeding before and after vaccination?
The Department of Health said mothers do not need to stop breastfeeding their babies before or after vaccination³.
2. What are the risks of a COVID-19 vaccine for a breastfeeding mom and her baby?
A UNICEF document mentioned that COVID-19 vaccines are “biologically and clinically unlikely to pose a risk⁴.”
- mRNA vaccines, such as Pfizer and Moderna, do not contain a live virus and the mRNA doesn’t enter the nucleus where the DNA is.
- Viral vector vaccines, such as AstraZeneca and J&J, also do not contain a live virus.
- Sinovac and Sinopharm use an inactivated virus. Many vaccines that are safe for pregnant women also use inactivated vaccines.
3. Isn’t it safer to stop breastfeeding after vaccination?
As mentioned earlier, mothers do not need to stop breastfeeding after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Not only are the vaccines biologically and clinically unable to pose a risk, but breast milk contains all the nutrients the baby needs during the first six months of the infant’s life.
Another reason why mothers shouldn’t stop nursing is that experts say the antibodies moms develop after receiving the vaccine can be passed into breast milk. This could give babies protection against COVID-19⁵.
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