Handing out free samples of baby milk formula to mothers within any healthcare setting has to be properly regulated if Malta is to haul itself up from the bottom of Europe’s breastfeeding ranks.

The National Breastfeeding Policy also advises against giving babies pacifiers or dummies as part of a mission to ensure breastfeeding rates stop nosediving once mothers leave hospital.

The policy’s consultation document for 2014-2020, seen by The Sunday Times of Malta, will be released on Wednesday and forms part of the government’s holistic strategy against obesity.

Motivation alone is not enough to change mentality and bring behaviour change

“The benefits of breastfeeding are not overrated and cannot be emphasised enough,” Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said when contacted.

“There is an accumulation of evidence that breastfeeding benefits mother and child.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the significant long-term benefits for babies who were breastfed include lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and a reduced incidence in obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Women who breastfed also had lower rates of breast cancer before menopause as well as a reduced risk of ovarian cancer, osteoporosis and coronary heart disease.

Despite the unmistakable benefits, breastfeeding rates in Malta are among the lowest in Europe.

And although figures have increased to 71 per cent in 2012 on discharge from hospital – up from 45 per cent in 1995 – a 2010 study showed that just 38 per cent of mothers continued breastfeeding for the recommended six months.

This same study found that 50 per cent of mothers had stopped breastfeeding after receiving incorrect advice from healthcare professionals.

The policy, which follows on the one released in 2000, is attempting to address these inaccuracies, eliminate the stumbling blocks mothers face and help reverse the ingrained culture against breastfeeding.

Mr Fearne, a paediatric surgeon by profession, believes the country has to work to rebuild the culture that breastfeeding is normal, as studies showed heavy marketing from milk formula producers had led to the perceived ‘normality’ of bottle feeding.

“Many mothers are afraid of this experience. They feel they will not be able to cope, and there are concerns that the baby is not getting enough milk,” he said.

Often, nursing mothers may not find the support they need from those around them and quickly resort to bottle feeding, thinking this was the easier option.

Breastfeeding-friendly facilities in workplaces and public service areas are recommended, while women’s right to continue breastfeeding for as long as they wished should be protected.

Mater Dei Hospital is also in the process of fully implementing a breastfeeding policy and practice guidelines in line with the 1991 Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative.

Through this initiative, WHO and Unicef accredit hospitals with a Baby Friendly quality standard designation when introducing the institutional and practice changes necessary to meet the initiative’s stringent assessment criteria.

Mater Dei is seeking formal BFHI accreditation as recommended in the breastfeeding policy.

“This policy aims to achieve optimal infant and young child feeding by supporting all mothers who decide on this option... motivation alone is not enough to change mentality and bring about behaviour change,” Mr Fearne added.

Steps to successful breastfeeding

• Have a breastfeeding policy and train staff to implement it.
• Inform all pregnant women about the benefits of breastfeeding.
• Help mothers start breastfeeding within 30 minutes of birth.
• Show mothers how to breastfeed and maintain lactation even if they are separated from their baby.
• Give newborns no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.
• Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups for mothers to refer to when discharged from hospital.

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