Protection for mother and child

In this issues some fragments from a Unicef document about the effect of infant feeding choice on the survival chances of children and women’s health. Unicef states: ‘’Breastfeeding Saves More Lives Than Any Other Preventive Intervention’’. And this is not only true in the developing world, but in our rich Western society as well. ‘’Non-breastfed children in industrialized countries are also at greater risk of dying - a recent study of post-neonatal mortality in the United States found a 25% increase in mortality among non-breastfed infants. In the UK Millennium Cohort Survey, six months of exclusive breast feeding was associated with a 53% decrease in hospital admissions for diarrhoea and a 27% decrease in respiratory tract infections.’’ Unicef cooperated with the WHO in formulating recommendations for optimal breastfeeding: ‘’Initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour after the birth; exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months; and continued breastfeeding for two years or more, together with safe, nutritionally adequate, age appropriate, responsive complementary feeding starting in the sixth month.’’ Formula is not an acceptable substitute for breastmilk because formula, at its best, only replaces most of the nutritional components of breast milk: it is just a food, whereas breast milk is a complex living nutritional fluid containing anti-bodies, enzymes, long chain fatty acids and hormones, many of which simply cannot be included in formula.  Furthermore, in the first few months, it is hard for the baby’s gut to absorb anything other than breastmilk. Even one feeding of formula or other foods can cause injuries to the gut, taking weeks for the baby to recover.‘’  The major problems for living up to the recommendations to exclusively breastfeed fo 6 months and continue for 2 years or more are the societal and commercial pressure to stop breastfeeding, including aggressive marketing and promotion by formula producers. ‘’These pressures are too often worsened by inaccurate medical advice from health workers who lack proper skills and training in breastfeeding support. In addition, many women have to return to work soon after delivery, and they face a number of challenges and pressures which often lead them to stop exclusive breastfeeding early.’’ Mothers and children need protection: children by being breastfed and mothers from being pressured to quit breastfeeding and from having to take hurdles and barriers to breastfeed.
http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_24824.html