World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from August 1 to 7 in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.
It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, the World Health Organisation, Unicef and other organisations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is the best way to provide infants with the nutrients they need. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth until a baby is six months old. Nutritious complementary foods should then be added while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or beyond.
Over the past decades, evidence for the health advantages of breastfeeding and recommendations for practice have continued to increase.
If every child was breastfed within an hour of birth, given only breast milk for their first six months of life, and continued to be breastfed up to the age of two, about 800,000 child lives would be saved every year.
Globally, less than 40 per cent of infants under six months of age are exclusively breastfed. Adequate breastfeeding counselling and support are essential for mothers and families to initiate and maintain optimal breastfeeding practices.
WHO actively promotes breastfeeding as the best source of nourishment for infants and young children.
In Malta, the National Breastfeeding Week takes place in November and the breastfeeding unit at Mater Dei Hospital organises various events to mark the event.
The walk-in clinic – situated at the outpatients department at Mater Dei – is open on Tuesday and Thursday from 8am to 1pm. Mothers seeking help or reassurance can turn up without an appointment on these days. Those wanting to visit the clinic on other days may call on 2545 4445 and schedule an appointment.
Recommendations
The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. At six months, solid foods, such as mashed fruits and vegetables, should be introduced to complement breastfeeding for up to two years or more.
In addition, breastfeeding should begin within one hour of birth; breastfeeding should be ‘on demand’, as often as the child wants, day and night; and bottles or dummies should be avoided.
Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival.
Adequate breastfeeding counselling and support are essential for mothers and families to initiate and maintain optimal breastfeeding practices. WHO actively promotes breastfeeding as the best source of nourishment for infants and young children.
Work and breastfeeding
Many mothers who return to work abandon breastfeeding partially or completely because they do not have sufficient time, or a place to breastfeed or to express and store their milk.
Mothers need a safe, clean and private place in or near their workplace to continue breastfeeding.
Enabling conditions at work, such as paid maternity leave, part-time work arrangements, on-site crèches, facilities for expressing and storing breast milk, and breastfeeding breaks, can help.
Health benefits for infants
Breast milk is the ideal food for newborns and infants. It gives infants all the nutrients they need for healthy development.
It is safe and contains antibodies that help protect infants from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, the two primary causes of child mortality worldwide. Breast milk is readily available and affordable, which helps to ensure that infants get adequate nutrition.
Benefits for mothers
Breastfeeding also benefits mothers. Exclusive breastfeeding is associated with a natural (though not fail-safe) method of birth control (98 per cent protection in the first six months after birth). It reduces risks of breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and postpartum depression.
Long-term benefits for children
Beyond the immediate benefits for children, breastfeeding contributes to a lifetime of good health.
Adolescents and adults who were breastfed as babies are less likely to be overweight or obese. They are less likely to have type 2 diabetes and perform better in intelligence tests.