 So, in this part, we will be discussing about breastfeeding during COVID because this is an issue, of course, since past two, two and a half years ever since we've had COVID in a country that there are a lot of mixed messages which has been passed on, you know, and I felt that, you know, in this session, I wanted to basically teach trainees what to do if the mother is diagnosed with COVID. Of course, this is all WHO guideline. So, do watch it, understand, you know, extremely important to have baby breastfeed during this time, okay? Because breastfeeding will not only, of course, help against COVID infection, but it will also help against diarrhea, pneumonia, so many other diseases as I mentioned earlier in my importance of breastfeeding session. And of course, not only baby will be helped but also mother's factors or psychological factors, you know, physical factors which will help her, you know, in her life. So, do kind of make sure that you put your foot down and you talk to the family and tell them that there is no contraindication to breastfeed the baby if mother is COVID positive, okay? She definitely should breastfeed, okay? Thank you so much. Welcome to the spoken tutorial on breastfeeding during COVID-19. In this tutorial, we will learn what is COVID-19 and guidelines for breastfeeding during COVID-19. Let us first understand what is COVID-19. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a virus called coronavirus. This virus has spread throughout the world. When infected people sneeze or cough, they generate droplets. These droplets contain the coronavirus. The infection spreads when other people inhale these infected droplets. These droplets can also travel for 1 to 2 meters and settle on surfaces. There they remain alive for hours or days. Other people touch such infected surfaces with their hands. Then, they touch their eyes, nose or mouth without washing their hands. This is another way in which the infection spreads. Infected people can spread the virus even before the onset of symptoms. There is no clear evidence of intrauterine transmission of this virus to date. This virus has not yet been detected in the breast milk of infected mothers. There is no evidence so far that it is transmitted through breastfeeding. The clinical symptoms of the coronavirus infection are various. Fever, cough, breathlessness, fatigue, headache, sore throat are common. Vomiting, diarrhea, sneezing and conjunctivitis are uncommon. Infected people can also show no symptoms. New bonds and infants are at low risk of COVID-19. There are only a few cases of confirmed COVID-19 in young children. Most of the infected babies have experienced only mild or no symptoms. Now, let's discuss the guidelines for breastfeeding during COVID-19. Breast milk is essential for all babies. This includes babies born to mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. This also includes babies with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. All babies should be fed according to the standard infant feeding guidelines. Breastfeeding should be initiated within one hour of birth. Exclusive breastfeeding should continue for six months. If needed, the mother's expressed breast milk can be given. Complimentary feeding must be started at six months of age. Breast milk must be fed at least up to two years of age. Breastfeeding, expressing milk and complementary feeding are essential skills. They are discussed in other tutorials. Please watch the prerequisite health and nutrition series on our website. During COVID-19, special care must be taken to feed the baby hygienically. Mother should wash her hands for 20 seconds. Mother should wash her hands for 20 seconds before and after touching the baby. She should also wash hands before and after breastfeeding or expressing milk. An alcohol-based hand rub can also be used to clean hands. If she is a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, medical masks are needed. She should wear a mask during breastfeeding and expressing milk. The mask must be replaced as soon as it becomes damp. The used mask should be disposed of immediately. It should not be reused. Mother should not touch the front surface of the mask. She should remove it from behind. Sometimes, medical masks may not be available. In such cases, mother should use a tissue or a clean cloth or a handkerchief. She should always sneeze or cough into it. She must immediately throw it in the dustbin and wash her hands. A soil tissue or cloth or handkerchief should be changed as often as needed. Cloth masks can also be used if medical masks are not available. The mother need not wash her breast before every feeding. She should wash them if she has been coughing on her chest. She should use soap and warm water to wash them gently for at least 20 seconds. Baby scare takers must wash their hands before and after touching the baby. All the surfaces in the room must be routinely cleaned and disinfected. Some infected mothers may be too unwell to breastfeed. In such cases, the baby should be fed expressed breast milk of the mother. A nurse or family member can feed this milk to the baby. The feeder should not have been in contact with infected people. Before touching the baby or the milk, they must wash their hands for 20 seconds. After washing their hands, they must also wear a mask. Expressed milk can be fed to the baby without pasteurization. The collection and transport of expressed milk should be done very carefully. Breastfeeding should be started again when the mother recovers. Some infected mothers may be too unwell to express milk. In such cases, try other options to nourish the baby. Check if human milk is available from a donor human milk bank. Feed donor human milk to the baby until the mother recovers. If donor human milk is not available, try wet nursing until the mother recovers. Wet nursing means to let a woman who isn't the mother breastfeed the baby. If wet nursing is not possible, feed animal milk to the baby. Always boil the animal milk before feeding it to the baby. Please ask your healthcare provider for their opinion on these options. Don't use formula milk, feeding bottles and plastic, rubber or silicone nipples. Help the mother to start breastfeeding again when she recovers. Another important practice is skin-to-skin contact between the mother and baby. It must start immediately after birth even if the mother has COVID-19. This will help in initiating breastfeeding. Kangaroo mother care should be performed throughout the day and night. Breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact reduces the risk of death in babies. They provide immediate and life-long health and development advantages. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer for mothers. These benefits are substantially greater than the risk of getting infected. Lastly, mother and family members must be counseled regarding the warning signs. They must be trained to look for the warning signs in the baby. If they see any signs, they should report back to the doctor. The guidelines in this tutorial are based on limited evidence as available now. As new evidence accumulates, some of the recommendations may change. Please use these guidelines in accordance with the latest government regulations. This brings us to the end of this tutorial. Thank you for joining.