Study: No serious COVID-19 Vaccine side effects in breastfeeding moms, infants
Researchers found after Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, breastfeeding mothers experienced similar side effects to what has previously been reported in non-breastfeeding women, and infants exhibited no serious side effects
Peer-Reviewed PublicationIMAGE: CHRISTINA CHAMBERS, PHD, MPH, IS A PROFESSOR OF PEDIATRICS AT UC SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND PROFESSOR IN THE HERBERT WERTHEIM SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN LONGEVITY SCIENCE. view more
CREDIT: UC SAN DIEGO HEALTH SCIENCES
In December 2020, two novel messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; however, the early trials excluded lactating women, leading to questions about their safety in this specific population.
In a recent study, published in the online edition of Breastfeeding Medicine, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that breastfeeding mothers who received either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccination reported the same local or systemic symptoms as what has been previously reported in non-breastfeeding women, with no serious side effects in the breastfed infants.
“A mother’s first concern is the safety of her child,” said Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH, professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine and professor in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. “Our study, along with previous research, suggests the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not red flags for breastfeeding mothers and their infants.”
The results found that more than 85 percent of the 180 breastfeeding women in the study who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine reported temporary localized symptoms, such as pain, redness, swelling or itching at the injection site, and systemic side effects, including chills, muscle/body aches, fever and vomiting, with higher frequency following the second dose.
Additionally, following the second dose of vaccine, women who received the Moderna brand were significantly more likely to report symptoms. A small proportion of women following the first dose of either vaccine brand reported a reduction in milk supply, and significantly more women reported a reduction in milk supply following the second dose of Moderna.
“We want to emphasize that the reduction in milk supply was in a small subset of women and came back fully within 72 hours after vaccination. We also cannot be certain that the supply reduction was a side effect of the vaccine or another unknown factor,” said Chambers. “What we do know is that the vaccine is incredibly effective in providing protection from COVID-19, which has proven to be a devastating and serious virus with possible long-term side effects.”
Irritability and poor sleep were reported in some breastfed children, but no serious adverse events.
“We know the many benefits of breastfeeding. Breast milk provides an abundance of nutritional components to infants that provide many health benefits, from stronger immune systems to lower rates of obesity and other conditions and illnesses,” said Chambers.
“Our results should encourage lactating women to get the COVID-19 vaccine and to continue to breastfeed their infants. They do not have to choose one over the other. Both are critical.”
The breastfeeding women recruited for the study enrolled into the Mommy’s Milk Human Milk Research Biorepository at UC San Diego, which strives to understand the numerous benefits human milk offers at a molecular level and uses these findings to improve the health and development of all children.
“This study would not be possible without the tremendous support of our staff and students, and the women across the nation who were willing to enroll and provide breast milk samples,” said Kerri Bertrand, first author of the study and research manager of the Mommy’s Milk Human Milk Research Biorepository. “Together, we are finding life-saving, evidence-based answers to crucial questions that arose when the pandemic first hit.”
The researchers noted that a limitation of the study was that symptoms post vaccination were self-reported and suggested additional studies will be needed to see if the findings can be generalized to a larger population.
Co-authors include: Gordon Honerkamp-Smith, UC San Diego.
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JOURNAL
Breastfeeding Medicine
DOI
Impact of COVID-19 vaccination on breastfeeding
IMAGE: THE JOURNAL PUBLISHES ORIGINAL SCIENTIFIC PAPERS, REVIEWS, AND CASE STUDIES ON A BROAD SPECTRUM OF TOPICS IN LACTATION MEDICINE. IT PRESENTS EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH ADVANCES AND EXPLORES THE IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM OUTCOMES OF BREASTFEEDING, INCLUDING THE EPIDEMIOLOGIC, PHYSIOLOGIC, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING. view more
CREDIT: MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC., PUBLISHERS
New Rochelle, NY, September 8, 2021—COVID-19 vaccination results in minimal disruption of lactation. Vaccination also has no adverse impact on the breastfed child, according to two studies published in the peer-reviewed journal Breastfeeding Medicine. Click here to read the first article now.
Skyler McLaurin-Jiang, MD, MPH, and coauthors from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, surveyed 4,455 breastfeeding mothers who underwent COVIC-19 vaccination. They reported that 1.7% of respondents reported a negative impact on breastfeeding post-vaccination. Those mothers were more likely to have experienced symptoms associated with the vaccine. “Even among mothers who reported an adverse impact on breastfeeding, maternal opinion about vaccination and confidence in their decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccine were high,” said the authors.
Kerri Bertrand, MPH, and coauthors from the University of California San Diego, enrolled 180 women in the Mommy’s Milk Human Milk Research Biorepository. Few events were reported for children following maternal vaccination with either the first or second dose of vaccine. The most common child events following dose two were irritability, poor sleep, and drowsiness. “These data are reassuring regarding the safety of vaccination in breastfeeding women and their breastfed children with either of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines,” said the authors in their article.
“These studies reinforce the conclusion that breastfeeding mothers should be vaccinated while continuing to nurse their infants without concern,” says Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 1R21HD104412-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
About the Journal
Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, is an authoritative, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal published 10 times per year in print and online. The Journal publishes original scientific papers, reviews, and case studies on a broad spectrum of topics in lactation medicine. It presents evidence-based research advances and explores the immediate and long-term outcomes of breastfeeding, including the epidemiologic, physiologic, and psychological benefits of breastfeeding. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Breastfeeding Medicine website.
About the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) is a worldwide organization of medical doctors dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding. Our mission is to unite members of the various medical specialties with this common purpose. For more than 20 years, ABM has been bringing doctors together to provide evidence-based solutions to the challenges facing breastfeeding across the globe. A vast body of research has demonstrated significant nutritional, physiological, and psychological benefits for both mothers and children that last well beyond infancy. But while breastfeeding is the foundation of a lifetime of health and well-being, clinical practice lags behind scientific evidence. By building on our legacy of research into this field and sharing it with the broader medical community, we can overcome barriers, influence health policies, and change behaviors.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm's 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publisher’s website.
JOURNAL
Breastfeeding Medicine
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Case study
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination on Breastfeeding
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
8-Sep-2021
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