Maternal Stress and Neonatal Nutrition during the COVID-19 Era.

Objective: COVID-19 pandemic has put a tremendous amount of stress on people, which can negatively affect nursing. Previous studies showed that perceived stress and cortisol levels in the postpartum period correlate with the LATCH scores, which is a simple tool to assess the pattern of nursing. Likewise, greater prenatal anxiety was associated with a shorter breastfeeding duration. We aimed to evaluate whether pregnant women were under extra stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic and if this stress affected their breastfeeding patterns and anthropometric measures of the neonates. Methods: Pregnant women giving birth to healthy neonates were included. Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used to assess the anxiety levels of the mothers, and LATCH breastfeeding assessment tool was used to assess the nursing. The results of these scales and anthropometric measures of the neonates were recorded. Results: Only one mother showed coronavirus-specific anxiety. Therefore, further analysis was done based on the Beck Anxiety (BA) levels of the mothers. CAS and BA scores were positively correlated ( Conclusion: COVID-19 seemed to have no additional effect on the stress levels of the mothers. The more the mothers have anxiety, the more they may stress about the well-being of their infants, which can improve their nursing pattern.