During the Covid-19 crisis, visits to maternity wards were limited to the spouse or second parent. So finished the “Hi it’s me ” protocol of aunt Suzy, grandfather Gaston but also the cousin of the cousin or the husband of the sister of… At first, the restrictive measure had confused the family clan a little. But three years later, the Tongues are loosened, and the mums describe… a certain relief, indeed, this period allowed them to concentrate on themselves and their babies.
Beyond the benefits in terms of rest for the mother, limiting maternity visits would also have had a positive impact on… breastfeeding. For several months, Capucine Delemer – then a student midwife at the L’Archet hospital in Nice – wrote a dissertation around this question. The results of his survey were presented at the “Paris Santé Femme” congress in Lille last February. And the numbers are clear: visits can be a factor in breastfeeding failure.
How to explain this link? The fact that the mothers were able to refocus greatly favored skin-to-skin contact. This method – which consists of laying the baby naked (or only in a diaper) on his mother or his second parent – restores warmth, smells, heart sounds, rocking and contact to the baby.
An intimacy sometimes incompatible with visits
This fullness facilitates latching and therefore breastfeeding. In addition, on the mother’s side, skin-to-skin triggers the production of oxytocin, a hormone with antidepressant effects. This promotes the reduction of maternal stress and encourages the parent-child bond.
“When visits were permitted, before the Covid-19 pandemic, mothers might not fully appreciate the beneficial effects of skin-to-skin contact because the practice involves them being half-naked. Many women have a certain modesty. They don’t necessarily want relatives or family members to see them naked, comments Latifa Benamer, midwife coordinator in maieutics at the woman – mother – child center of the Nice University Hospital. In addition, during visits, infants who often pass from arm to arm are more nervous. Under these conditions, it becomes very complicated to establish breastfeeding. Some women end up getting discouraged and ask to switch to artificial milk.”
Fatigue that promotes the abandonment of breastfeeding
Another consequence of the comings and goings: some mothers wait for the end of the visits to finally give the breast.
“The problem is that this moment should not be postponed. When the baby is hungry, it must be suckled immediately. If the mother waits, she risks having very sore breasts. The baby will necessarily be restless and breastfeeding may fail. Sometimes it happens that we have to give a bottle of artificial milk to the child because he does not eat enough and loses too much weight.”
The effects of multiple visits during the day can also be felt in the evening and at night. “ Very often we have very tired and crying mothers. Remember, all the same, that these women have given birth to a child and that the exhaustion is sometimes extreme.
Today, should the restrictions be maintained?
During the pandemic, the situation was quite different: the mothers were clearly more serene. “ They had time to rest, to listen to the information delivered by the midwives and above all to take the time to do skin-to-skin contact and gently set up their breastfeeding.
Three years following the start of Covid, what regarding in maternity wards? Some have kept visitation restrictions, others have not. Indeed, the passage of relatives is not subject to national and harmonized procedures.
At L’Archet, visits remain limited to the second parent and siblings. “Because the arrival of a child is above all a story of a couple and the parents seem very happy with this rule”, justifies Latifa Benamer.
And to add that, nowadays, maternity visits are perhaps no longer adapted to the length of stay.
“About ten years ago, women stayed 5 to 6 days for a childbirth without difficulty and regarding 8 days for a caesarean section. Today, the mother’s stay lasts – on average – between 2 and 3 days. The couple therefore has very little time to get to know the baby.”
In addition, there are now multiple ways to introduce your child to loved ones. “It is quite possible to see the baby via video calls for example.”
However, some situations remain delicate, such as family or friends who come from far away or the case of single mothers. “Obviously, the idea is not to absolutely prohibit access to maternity for relatives. In the future, perhaps this decision might be taken in consultation with the couples as soon as they enter the maternity ward.”
What does the survey say?
Student midwife at the time of the pandemic, Capucine Delemer compared the course of breastfeeding over two key periods: during the first confinement and the year preceding the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 561 births were studied (278 during the pandemic and 283 outside the pandemic period) between 2019 and 2020.
Less weight loss
Capucine Delemer noticed that children born during the Covid period, and therefore during a period of restricted visits, had less pathological weight loss (1).
“So that means more efficiency of the breastfed baby,” decrypts Latifa Benamer. Thus, two days following birth, this weight loss concerned 0.4% of newborns during the Covid period compared to 3.6% in the control group excluding the health crisis. At three days, the figures were 1% versus 5.7%, respectively. A very significant difference.
Fewer artificial milks
Babies born during the Covid period received less artificial milk than the “non-pandemic” group (4.5% once morest 7.3%).
“This figure is a factor in the continuation of breastfeeding“, confirms Latifa Benamer.
1. Weight loss greater than 10% of birth weight.
“I needed to be in a cocoon”
Let’s be honest: receiving loved ones at the maternity ward, answering their questions, posing for souvenir photos… is not easy for the mother. “
“When I gave birth in May 2022, I was really relieved that visits were still not allowed in the maternity ward.recognizes Fanny, a resident of La Roquette-sur-Var. My family and loved ones were quite frustrated but I was happy not to have this constraint because I was tired and I didn’t want to look good.
The young mother was able to take the time to set up her breastfeeding.
“Everything was stress-free. I was able to put my daughter to the breast whenever she wanted. I might ask for advice at any time. I think I would have had a hard time adjusting to the multiple visits. This n It’s not a question of modesty but rather of a privileged moment. I needed to be in a cocoon with my daughter and my companion.”
In numbers
According to the results of the 6th national perinatal survey, conducted in 2021 by Inserm, the rate of breastfeeding during maternity stays has increased only slightly since the previous survey, five years earlier. Thus, 56.3% of women exclusively breastfeed their child in 2021 compared to 54.6% in 2016 and 13.4% are mixed breastfeeding compared to 12.5% in 2016.
According to a study conducted by the school of midwives at the University of Saint-Quentin (Yvelines), and relayed by the newspaper Le Parisien in 2022, 3 out of 4 women found it normal that visits to the maternity ward were limited during the Covid. However, they regretted the restrictions imposed on the possible brothers and sisters of the baby.
