Childbirth Care among SARS-CoV-2 Positive Women in Italy

Serena Donati, Edoardo Corsi, Michele Antonio Salvatore, Alice Maraschini, Silvia Bonassisa, Paola Casucci, Ilaria Cataneo, Irene Cetin, Paola D’Aloja, Gabriella Dardanoni, Elena De Ambrosi, Enrico Ferrazzi, Stefania Fieni, Massimo Piergiuseppe Franchi, Gianluigi Gargantini, Enrico Iurlaro, Livio Leo, Marco Liberati, Stefania Livio, Mariavittoria Locci, Luca Marozio, Claudio Martini, Gianpaolo Maso, Federico Mecacci, Alessandra Meloni, Anna Domenica Mignuoli, Luisa Patanè, Edda Pellegrini, Francesca Perotti, Enrica Perrone, Federico Prefumo, Luca Ramenghi, Raffaella Rusciani, Valeria Savasi, Sergio Crescenzo Antonio Schettini, Daniela Simeone, Serena Simeone, Arsenio Spinillo, Martin Steinkasserer, Saverio Tateo, Giliana Ternelli, Roberta Tironi, Vito Trojano, Patrizia Vergani and Sara Zullino
Additional contact information
Serena Donati: National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità-Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
Edoardo Corsi: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Viale Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Michele Antonio Salvatore: National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità-Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
Alice Maraschini: National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità-Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
Silvia Bonassisa: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Maggiore della Carità, 28100 Novara, Italy
Paola Casucci: Sistema Informativo e Mobilità Sanitaria, Umbria Region, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Ilaria Cataneo: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ospedale Maggiore, 40133 Bologna, Italy
Irene Cetin: Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital V. Buzzi, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, 20154 Milan, Italy
Paola D’Aloja: National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità-Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
Gabriella Dardanoni: Osservatorio Epidemiologico Assessorato Salute Regione Siciliana, Sicily Region, 90145 Palermo, Italy
Elena De Ambrosi: Ospedale Infermi, 47923 Rimini, Italy
Enrico Ferrazzi: Unit of Obstetrics, Foundation IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 55031 Milan, Italy
Stefania Fieni: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
Massimo Piergiuseppe Franchi: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Verona, 37126 Verona, Italy
Gianluigi Gargantini: Maternal and Child Committee—Lombardy Region, 20124 Milan, Italy
Enrico Iurlaro: Unit of Obstetrics, Foundation IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 55031 Milan, Italy
Livio Leo: Hospital “Beauregard” Valle D’Aosta, 11100 Aosta, Italy
Marco Liberati: D’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Stefania Livio: Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital V. Buzzi, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, 20154 Milan, Italy
Mariavittoria Locci: Federico II University of Naples, 80138 Naples, Italy
Luca Marozio: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy
Claudio Martini: Territorio e Integrazione Ospedale Territorio, Marche Region, 60122 Ancona, Italy
Gianpaolo Maso: Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute for Maternal and Child Health-IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34137 Trieste, Italy
Federico Mecacci: Department of Biomedical, Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Experimental and Clinical Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Alessandra Meloni: Maternal and Neonatal Department, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
Anna Domenica Mignuoli: Dipartimento Regionale Tutela della Salute, Calabria Region, 88100 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Luisa Patanè: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, 24127 Bergamo, Italy
Edda Pellegrini: Maternal and Child Committee—Lombardy Region, 20124 Milan, Italy
Francesca Perotti: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Enrica Perrone: Servizio Assistenza Territoriale, Direzione Generale Cura Della Persona, Salute e Welfare, Emilia-Romagna Region, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Federico Prefumo: Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ASST Spedali Civili, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
Luca Ramenghi: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy
Raffaella Rusciani: Department of Epidemiology, ASL TO3 Piedmont Region, 10095 Turin, Italy
Valeria Savasi: Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy
Sergio Crescenzo Antonio Schettini: Center for Reproductive Medicine of “San Carlo” Hospital, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Daniela Simeone: Ospedale Civile Antonio Cardarelli, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Serena Simeone: Department of Woman and Child’s Health, Careggi University Hospital, 50141 Florence, Italy
Arsenio Spinillo: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Martin Steinkasserer: Central Teaching Hospital of Bozen, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 39100 Bozen, Italy
Saverio Tateo: Santa Chiara Hospital, 38122 Trento, Italy
Giliana Ternelli: Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Mother, Child and Adult, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41124 Modena, Italy
Roberta Tironi: Ospedale Manzoni, 23900 Lecco, Italy
Vito Trojano: Mater Dei Hospital, 70125 Bari, Italy
Patrizia Vergani: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MBBM Foundation/San Gerardo Hospital, University of Milan–Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
Sara Zullino: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-8

Abstract: The new coronavirus emergency spread to Italy when little was known about the infection’s impact on mothers and newborns. This study aims to describe the extent to which clinical practice has protected childbirth physiology and preserved the mother–child bond during the first wave of the pandemic in Italy. A national population-based prospective cohort study was performed enrolling women with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted for childbirth to any Italian hospital from 25 February to 31 July 2020. All cases were prospectively notified, and information on peripartum care (mother–newborn separation, skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, and rooming-in) and maternal and perinatal outcomes were collected in a structured form and entered in a web-based secure system. The paper describes a cohort of 525 SARS-CoV-2 positive women who gave birth. At hospital admission, 44.8% of the cohort was asymptomatic. At delivery, 51.9% of the mothers had a birth support person in the delivery room; the average caesarean section rate of 33.7% remained stable compared to the national figure. On average, 39.0% of mothers were separated from their newborns at birth, 26.6% practised skin-to-skin, 72.1% roomed in with their babies, and 79.6% of the infants received their mother’s milk. The infants separated and not separated from their SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers both had good outcomes. At the beginning of the pandemic, childbirth raised awareness and concern due to limited available evidence and led to “better safe than sorry” care choices. An improvement of the peripartum care indicators was observed over time.

Keywords: birth; breastfeeding; COVID-19; perinatal care; pregnancy; SARS-CoV-2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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