Pilot study of home phototherapy for neonatal jaundice monitored in maternity ward during the enforced Italy-wide COVID-19 national lockdown.

Unlabelled: In Italy, where neonatal jaundice treatment is required, it is largely carried out in hospitals. However, it is possible to safely administer home phototherapy (HPT). We report our pilot center's experience of HPT and its potential benefits during the COVID-19-enforced national lockdown.

Fluid status changes during the transition in infants of diabetic mothers.

In animal and human neonates, expansion of the extracellular fluid volume is associated with "wet" lung and poor respiratory outcomes. To define fluid status changes during the transition from fetal to neonatal life in infants of diabetic mothers (IDM), we conducted a single-centre (Policlinico Abano Terme, Abano Terme, Italy) study of 66 IDM and a 1:2 matched control group from January 1 to September 30, 2020. Fluid status changes were assessed by computing Δ Hct from umbilical cord blood at birth and capillary heel Hct at 48 h, accounting for body weight decrease.

Infant feeding initiation practices in the context of COVID-19 lockdown.

Objective: Limited information is available regarding barriers to breastfeeding during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Study Design: This study was designed as a non-concurrent case-control study on breastfeeding initiation practices, defined according to WHO, in women giving birth during lockdown, between March 8 and May 18, 2020, in the COVID-19 'hotspot' in Northeastern Italy (study group), with an antecedent puerperae-matched group (control group). Exclusive, complementary, and formula feeding practices were collected from maternal charts at hospital discharge, on the second day post-partum, when puerperae filled out the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).

Determinants and effects of fluid status changes in caesarean delivered neonates.

Aim: Evidence suggests that caesarean section is associated with a reduced placental transfusion and poor iron-related haematological indices, both in cord and peripheral blood, compared with vaginal delivery. We assessed determinants and effects of fluid status changes on placental transfusion in neonates delivered by elective (ElCD) and emergency (EmCD) caesarean section.

Methods: Placental transfusion was estimated by ∆ haematocrit (Hct) increase from birth to 48 hours of life, accounting for contemporaneous ∆ body weight decrease, in 143 women/infant pairs, 62 who underwent ElCD and 81 EmCD, respectively.