A review of the disruption of breastfeeding supports in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in five Western countries and applications for clinical practice

Table 1 WHO definitions of practices to support breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic

Term	WHO Definition
Skin-to-skin	The practice where an infant is laid directly on the mother’s bare chest as soon as possible after birth.
Rooming In	The infant is either placed in a stand-alone cot by the bedside or is bed-sharing by attached side-car crib, in comparison to the infant being placed separate to the mother in a hospital nursery.^a
Direct feeding	Infants who are fed directly at the breast.
Breast washing	Gently washing the breast with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds prior to feeding if mother has just coughed on it.

^a In situations where two metre social distance from infant or use of an isolette or other barrier is recommended, the criteria for rooming in are not met

ISSN: 1746-4358