The power of breastmilk.
According to a new study, doctors in Massachusetts tracked 131 women, 84 of whom were pregnant and 31 who were lactating, to see whether or not vaccine antibodies could be passed to babies either during pregnancy or through breastfeeding. And what they found that vaccine-induced antibodies were present in all cord blood and almost all breastmilk samples they took.
There is still debate surrounding Covid-19 vaccines for pregnant women, and whether or not women who are expecting would be getting the vaccine while pregnant, or wait until after they give birth. But according to Dr. Brenna Hughes, a Duke University researcher and maternal-fetal medicine specialist, study could help shed some light on the benefits of giving pregnant mums their vaccine.
Speaking to the Washington Post , Huges said:
“Worries about possible risk and harm may be proven quite the opposite. In fact, it may be proven that the vaccines actually provide protection to the developing fetus.”
Other studies have also shown that women who have Covid-19 antibodies from contracting the virus are passing along protection to their newborns as well. However, doctors from the new US study noted that the protection passed along by vaccinated mothers was significantly higher than those who had antibodies from becoming infected.
Next up, according to Mother.ly, researchers will begin to study how effective the protection being passed from mothers to babies is, and how long it might last. Being born with antibodies could help babies safely bridge the gap until they are able to get vaccinated themselves.
