Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week 2014: Scoring the winning goal for life!
World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is pleased to join partners in celebrating World Breastfeeding Week. This year's theme helps us to remember the importance of breastfeeding for a child's healthy growth and development. Breastfeeding is the first, and single most important, public health intervention for all newborns, infants and young children with a lifelong impact on health and survival. The theme also reminds us that to enable a mother to breastfeed, she needs to be supported by a team that involves family, community, health care professionals with specific skills in breastfeeding support, policy makers and champions.
Quality care of mother and newborn, especially around the time of childbirth and in the first week of life, has a major impact: it will save maternal and newborn lives and prevent stillbirths. Currently, 44% of all under-five mortality occurs in the first month of life. Small babies are at greatest risk of dying and 80% of newborn deaths occur among premature or small for gestational age babies born in southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Breast milk is the best food for these babies.
In order for mothers and families to practice optimal breastfeeding practices, teamwork is required. Health care professionals, especially midwives, will help determine the success, or failure, of breastfeeding and the subsequent health of the newborn throughout the life course. Immediate skin-to-skin contact and early initiation of breastfeeding within the hour after childbirth is essential. Postnatal care must also be provided, ensuring support for exclusive and continued breastfeeding. Home-based support by community health workers, specifically training in breastfeeding support, during pregnancy, in the first weeks after childbirth and beyond is also effective.
Social and cultural beliefs that consider breastfeeding the norm and the adoption and enforcement of conducive policies are all necessary. In this respect, the implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative and Maternity Protection Legislation conforming to International Labour Convention 183 are clear examples of policies for which more progress must be made.
Breast
Feeding Clinic in Exeter! Held every Friday morning from 9 am
-Noon. Free to all new moms and their babies to talk with a Registered
Nurse about any Breastfeeding or Baby care concerns.
No
appointment necessary. Held at the South Huron Medical Centre across from
South Huron Hospital Association in Exeter ~ provided by Huron County Health Unit.
