Breastfeeding is the best gift that a mother can give to her baby. It fosters a physical and emotional bonding between mother and baby. World Breastfeeding Week is a global annual campaign which is held every year in the first week of August in more than 120 countries ( including India) to raise awareness and galvanize action on themes related to breastfeeding.
World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months starting within an hour of birth of the baby and to continue upto two years along with supplementary feeding starting from six months of life. Breastfeeding provides every child with the best possible start in life. It delivers health, nutrition and emotional benefits to both infants and mothers and it forms part of a sustainable food system. But while breastfeeding is a natural process, it is not always easy. Mothers need support both to get started and to sustain breastfeeding.
Benefits of Breastfeeding
A. For the baby
1. Breast milk contains nutrients essential for the baby’s growth and it is easily digestible.
2. Contains antibodies that protects babies from certain bacteria and viruses.
3. Infants who are breastfed have reduced risk of anemia, obesity, diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal infections and necrotising enterocolitis.
4. Breastfeeding helps to form an emotional bonding between mother and baby.
B. For the mother
1. Helps to reduce pregnancy related weight gain and prevents metabolic syndrome.
2. Protects against breast and ovarian cancers by suppressing ovulation and limiting lifetime estrogen exposure.
3. Exclusive breastfeeding provides contraception upto third postpartum months by suppressing ovulation which is known as Lactational amenorrhea.
4. Breastfeeding reduces the incidence of postpartum depression.
Key to successful Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding provides unmatched health benefits for babies and mothers. It is the clinical gold standard for infant feeding and nutrition with breast milk uniquely tailored to meet the health needs of the growing baby.
Counselling can empower women to overcome challenges and prevent feeding and care practices that may interfere with optimal breastfeeding such as provision of unnecessary liquids, foods and breast milk substitutes to infants and young children. Skilled breastfeeding counselling can be provided by different actors including health care professionals, lactation counsellors and peer support providers. During the covid-19 pandemic, it is even more important to find innovative solutions to ensure that access to these essential services is not disrupted and that families continue to receive the breastfeeding counselling services.
Theme of World Breastfeeding Week 2021
This year the theme of World Breastfeeding Week is ” Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility”. The reason behind this theme is to make people aware of the benefits of breastfeeding and its importance.
Let us all make this campaign successful by supporting and educating mothers about breastfeeding.
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