Doctors call for pupils to be taught about breastfeeding

WHO National guidelines regarding breast milk substitutes adopted from the WHO International Code of Marketing Breast Milk Substitutes (WHO, 1981), discourage the use of bottles with nipples.

The Sierra Leone Demographic Health Survey 2013, key findings on nutrition of children states that, nearly all children, 97%, are breastfed at some point.

Working mothers should have maternity leave long enough to help them establish good breastfeeding skills, and they should have a comfortable room for lactation and expressing milk and breastfeeding, she added.

Aiyedun also called on the media to help in creating awareness on the need for nursing mothers to feed their babies exclusively for six months. Speaking on the need for supporting mothers in sustaining their breastfeeding decision, Ms. Emilie Moulard, Managing Director, Medela India said, “A large segment of new mothers today are finding themselves caught between the responsibilities of motherhood and that of a professional”.

They warn the United Kingdom has one of the lowest rates of breastfeeding in the world, with only 40% of babies breastfeeding at six to eight weeks. “Besides breastfeeding the young ones, lactating mothers should also be given proper nutrition supplements”. It is recommended for mothers to exclusively breastfeed (giving your baby breast milk only) for the first six months of their baby’s life.

“By failing to invest in breastfeeding, we are failing mothers and their babies – and paying a double price: in lost lives and in lost opportunity”, he said in a statement.

In a position statement on breastfeeding, published today, the RCPCH also recommends advising mothers that using infant formula supplements, or combining formula feeding with breastfeeding, make it more hard to establish exclusive breastfeeding.

” Beyond the individual breastfeeding benefits, the country will also benefit from improving breastfeeding practices through increase educational attainment which optimally contributes to boost productivity, ” he said.

He said that not only those breastfeeding lowers risk of cancers but it also help in developing the child. In this regard, Brunei Darussalam continues to sustain efforts that encourage mothers to breastfeed.

Breastfeeding can protect baby from developing allergies and other eventual health issues.

Rates of infant and child deaths and child malnutrition are closely linked to whether babies are breastfed and what young children are given to eat.

Your breastfed child will benefit in terms of development, higher performance in intelligence tests, immunity from infections, and lower risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in later life.

Further, community needs to be made aware about the contributions of breast-feeding to maternal health like prevention of diabetes, etc and that breast-feeding plays a significant role in addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for maternal and child health, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), nutrition, education, poverty, inclusive economic growth and reducing inequalities.