{"id":49270,"date":"2020-12-21T14:13:55","date_gmt":"2020-12-21T13:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=49270"},"modified":"2020-12-30T19:22:08","modified_gmt":"2020-12-30T18:22:08","slug":"healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthcare workers who breastfeed should be offered the covid-19 vaccine"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK\u2019s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has advised that no breastfeeding woman should receive the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine. NHS Trusts have interpreted this as a blanket-ban. The decision disregards an individual\u2019s particular level of exposure to the virus or her likelihood of developing a severe form of the disease. The MHRA\u2019s stance, and associated restrictions around pregnancy, could undermine efforts to achieve high levels of vaccination, and worsen the UK\u2019s already low breastfeeding rates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Breastfeeding women have been excluded from the Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccine trials. To date, no plausible biological mechanism for how an inactivated, recombinant vaccine would cause harm to a breastfed baby has been proposed.<\/span> [1] However, any data gap leaves open a possibility of risk. Yet men who are trying to conceive can be vaccinated, even though no data exists about the vaccine\u2019s effect on spermatogenesis. Regarding lactation, theoretical risk must be weighed against the established benefits of acquiring immunity to covid-19 and of continued breastfeeding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Green Book, which provides information on vaccines in the UK, does not offer further explanation for the MHRA\u2019s decision, merely stating that the licensor has \u201cadvised vaccination should not be given whilst breastfeeding.\u201d<\/span> [2] Refusal to vaccinate those who are breastfeeding is an attempt to protect women and infants, The Green Book authors suggest, who conclude that the MHRA has taken \u201ca very precautionary approach.\u201d But in our view, the approach is not cautious; it is reckless to insist on exposing these women, their families and\u2014in the case of healthcare workers\u2014their patients, to a potentially lethal virus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Surely the number of doctors, nurses, and carers at work who are breastfeeding is vanishingly small? This seems to be the assumption made by the MHRA. That several thousand doctors and healthcare workers are breastfeeding while caring for patients may come as a surprise to many. But it shouldn\u2019t. Guidelines from the NHS and WHO strongly support breastfeeding until an infant is two years of age and beyond. It is often wrongly presumed that these targets apply only to women in developing countries and that for mothers in the UK, breastfeeding ceases to be worthwhile after six months. No wonder breastfeeding rates in the UK are some of the lowest in the world, with 8 out of 10 women stopping before they want to.<\/span> [3]<\/span><\/p>\n

To support breastfeeding beyond the first few months is a public health priority which policy makers cannot afford to ignore. Healthcare workers feel overlooked by the MHRA\u2019s guidance, which reinforces society’s perception of breastfeeding as a lifestyle choice. This belies the effort and expense incurred by those who breastfeed, a physically and emotionally demanding commitment which does not come naturally to many infants or their mothers. The benefits of breastfeeding extend beyond a source of calories, and the milk\u2019s immunological components increase with age.<\/span> [4] Many women cite the importance of breastfeeding for their mental health, and as a powerful way to reconnect with their baby after a day’s separation. Any woman should be enabled to continue breastfeeding for valid reasons of maternal and infant comfort, health promotion or medical necessity.<\/span><\/p>\n

The US approach to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been quite different. Recommendations from The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), approved by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), conclude that breastfeeding women may choose to receive the vaccine. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released a Practice Advisory and its message is clear: \u201cvaccines should not be withheld from lactating individuals who otherwise meet criteria for vaccination.\u201d Even the more cautious wording of the vaccine\u2019s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) recommends a discussion between a breastfeeding woman and her healthcare provider, which leaves open the option of vaccination.<\/span> [5] Breastfeeding women in the UK should also be given the choice to accept or decline the vaccine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Women on the NHS frontline currently face three unthinkable options: accept the vaccine and stop breastfeeding before they or their baby are ready; be denied the vaccine and continue to breastfeed; or accept the vaccine but \u201cfail to disclose\u201d they are nursing. The first assumes that benefits of the vaccine outweigh those of breastfeeding. Stopping feeding abruptly is not like cancelling a subscription: it is associated with negative emotions, known as breastfeeding grief,<\/span> risk of engorgement and mastitis, as well as being a sudden physical and emotional transition for a child. [6] Women who choose to continue to breastfeed, who want to get vaccinated but cannot, and who work in high-risk settings, are unwillingly exposed to infection.<\/span> [7] Being so-called \u201cunvaccinated by choice\u201d drags women into workplace tensions around the staffing of \u201chot zones\u201d, debates about professionalism and patient safety, resentment about required periods of isolation, and some even fear discrimination when they apply for a future promotion or locum work. Lying about breastfeeding continuation puts a healthcare worker in breach of her duty to act with honesty and integrity.<\/span> [8] Nevertheless, many doctors feel personally and professionally conflicted, and have told us they would be prepared to lie in order to receive the vaccine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Allowing breastfeeding women to receive a covid-19 vaccine should not set a precedent for condoning gaps in evidence. Robust data on the vaccines\u2019 safety in breastfeeding must be an urgent priority. Currently no European trials are underway in humans to collect such data, thereby blocking the route to correct this inequality. There is willingness among many breastfeeding healthcare workers to be vaccinated and studied. On one UK-based Facebook group alone, over 400 breastfeeding doctors stated their enthusiasm to be vaccinated, to share their data and even donate milk samples for analysis. But until any formal data becomes available, regulators must recognise a breastfeeding woman\u2019s agency to be responsible for her own choice about receiving the vaccine.<\/span><\/p>\n

This data gap is not an anomaly. It is the result of a system of researching and licensing drugs that routinely discriminates against women, excludes them from the evidence base, and denies them the right to make informed risk-benefit decisions about their own health. We implore the MHRA to change its position.<\/span><\/p>\n

Helen Hare<\/strong> is an Acute Medicine CT2 working in Emergency Medicine and is breastfeeding an 18-month-old.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Kate Womersley<\/strong> is an Academic FY2 and is breastfeeding a 9-month-old.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Competing interests<\/strong>: None declared<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine contains a live adenovirus vector, but this virus is not replicating and does not cause infection in the recipient.
\n2.https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/943663\/Greenbook_chapter_14a_v3.pdf
\n3. https:\/\/www.unicef.org.uk\/babyfriendly\/about\/breastfeeding-in-the-uk\/
\n4. https:\/\/abm.me.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/GP-Guide-Breastfeeding-beyond-infancy.pdf
\n5. GPs are already overwhelmed. The feasibility of consultations on an individual basis in the NHS is questionable, and in the absence of further data, it\u2019s not clear what their expertise would add.
\n6. https:\/\/www.pinterandmartin.com\/why-breastfeeding-grief-and-trauma-matter
\n7. This is especially relevant for women with pre-existing conditions or from minority ethnic groups who are at increased risk of severe covid-related illness. https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/coronavirus-covid-19\/people-at-higher-risk\/whos-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus\/
\n8. https:\/\/www.gmc-uk.org\/ethical-guidance\/ethical-guidance-for-doctors\/good-medical-practice\/domain-4—maintaining-trust<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UK\u2019s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has advised that no breastfeeding woman should receive the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine. NHS Trusts have interpreted this as a blanket-ban. The […]<\/p>\n

More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":45819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[236],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhs"],"yoast_head":"\nHealthcare workers who breastfeed should be offered the covid-19 vaccine - The BMJ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Healthcare workers who breastfeed should be offered the covid-19 vaccine - The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The UK\u2019s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has advised that no breastfeeding woman should receive the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine. NHS Trusts have interpreted this as a blanket-ban. The [...]More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-21T13:13:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-30T18:22:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/10\/breastfeeding_baby_1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"julietwalker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bmj_latest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bmj_latest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"julietwalker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"julietwalker\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/373707d32533c2cbca204980b8cd3493\"},\"headline\":\"Healthcare workers who breastfeed should be offered the covid-19 vaccine\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-21T13:13:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-30T18:22:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1193,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/breastfeeding_baby_1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"NHS\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/\",\"name\":\"Healthcare workers who breastfeed should be offered the covid-19 vaccine - The BMJ\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/breastfeeding_baby_1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-21T13:13:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-30T18:22:08+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/breastfeeding_baby_1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/breastfeeding_baby_1.jpg\",\"width\":540,\"height\":350},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/21\\\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Healthcare workers who breastfeed should be offered the covid-19 vaccine\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\",\"name\":\"The BMJ\",\"description\":\"Helping doctors make better decisions.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The BMJ\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg\",\"width\":852,\"height\":568,\"caption\":\"The BMJ\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/bmjdotcom\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/bmj_latest\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/373707d32533c2cbca204980b8cd3493\",\"name\":\"julietwalker\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"julietwalker\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/author\\\/julietwalker\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Healthcare workers who breastfeed should be offered the covid-19 vaccine - The BMJ","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Healthcare workers who breastfeed should be offered the covid-19 vaccine - The BMJ","og_description":"The UK\u2019s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has advised that no breastfeeding woman should receive the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine. NHS Trusts have interpreted this as a blanket-ban. The [...]More...","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/","og_site_name":"The BMJ","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/","article_published_time":"2020-12-21T13:13:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-12-30T18:22:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":540,"height":350,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/10\/breastfeeding_baby_1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"julietwalker","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@bmj_latest","twitter_site":"@bmj_latest","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"julietwalker","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/"},"author":{"name":"julietwalker","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/person\/373707d32533c2cbca204980b8cd3493"},"headline":"Healthcare workers who breastfeed should be offered the covid-19 vaccine","datePublished":"2020-12-21T13:13:55+00:00","dateModified":"2020-12-30T18:22:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/"},"wordCount":1193,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/10\/breastfeeding_baby_1.jpg","articleSection":["NHS"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/","name":"Healthcare workers who breastfeed should be offered the covid-19 vaccine - The BMJ","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/10\/breastfeeding_baby_1.jpg","datePublished":"2020-12-21T13:13:55+00:00","dateModified":"2020-12-30T18:22:08+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/10\/breastfeeding_baby_1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2019\/10\/breastfeeding_baby_1.jpg","width":540,"height":350},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/12\/21\/healthcare-workers-who-breastfeed-should-be-offered-the-covid-19-vaccine\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Healthcare workers who breastfeed should be offered the covid-19 vaccine"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/","name":"The BMJ","description":"Helping doctors make better decisions.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization","name":"The BMJ","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/05\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/05\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg","width":852,"height":568,"caption":"The BMJ"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/","https:\/\/x.com\/bmj_latest"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/person\/373707d32533c2cbca204980b8cd3493","name":"julietwalker","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34f10b717c81464cc7a2879c84cd30078f63b5a901e12905a02abd9d1ea9ec90?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"julietwalker"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/author\/julietwalker\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}