FROM THE EDITOR
The first week of August every year has been set aside for celebrating the World Breastfeeding Week. This year’s theme is : ‘Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding’. Bloggers’ Digest has prepared this August edition as a reflection on how parents could be supported to adopt exclusive breastfeeding practice.
The article by Christine Chung originally appeared in Malnutrition Deeply but was republished for your delight. The discussion on why men are the homemakers is presented to highlight how contemporary husbands could be supporting their wives to exclusively breastfeed their babies.
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WHY THE BREAST MILK IS A UNIQUE FOOD DRINK FOR BABIES.
Food is an important gift that is essential for man’s survival and well-being. It exists in various forms or varieties from which people across the world choose to satisfy hunger and to meet bodily needs. Babies, however, still have very tender digestive systems and may not be able to handle solid foods like adults. While in the womb, babies are nourished from their mother’s nutrients in the bloodstream via the placenta. Though babies are detached from their mothers after birth, it has always being advised that the connection be resumed within 1 hour and to continue for 6 months in the form of exclusive breastfeeding. Therefore, this piece considers why the breast milk is such an important food that babies enjoy.
I. Adequate nutrients for growth and development.
Unlike formula feeds that need to be fortified, breast milk is enriched with vitamins and mineral salts in addition to it’s carbohydrate, protein and fat content. Researchers have long noted it’s adequacy to meet babies’ requirement for growth and development. It also has enough water without need for extra especially during the period of exclusivity with the exception of medicines, oral rehydration solutions or vaccines.
II. Endowment with infection-fighting components.
Breast milk is peculiar in that it contains living cells, antibodies, hormones and enzymes which protect babies from germs [1]. Colostrum, the first milk produced by nursing mothers, is rich in immunoglobulins and antioxidants which play key roles in offering protection against pathogens and fostering the growth of healthy bacteria that strengthen gut function [2]. This is a necessary reinforcement considering the fact that components of the innate immunity is weak at birth [3].
III. Less susceptible to contamination.
Breast milk is a natural food drink that requires no preparation nor dilution. This is not like the formula milk that needs water for it’s preparation. Milk from healthy mothers are safe for babies to suck. But factory-produced formula are prone to contamination, either in course of processing or during mixing with water for use. But once nursing mothers observe rules of personal hygiene, babies have a lower risk of ingesting contaminants in breast milk.
IV. Promotion of mother-child bonding.
Apart from enjoying nourishing meals during breastfeeding sessions, babies are also psychologically close to their mothers through skin-to-skin contacts [4]. This could also be the basis for a longterm mutual understanding and love. Breastfeeding also offers the opportunity for babies to begin to learn to recognize their mothers’ scent and voice [4].
REFERENCE
1. American Pregnancy Association (2019) What’s in Breast Milk? Available at: https://americanpregnancy.org/first-year-of-life/whats-in-breastmilk (Accessed: 04 November, 2019)
2. Farnam, L. (nd) Liquid Gold: The Amazing Nutritional Qualities of Breast Milk Available at: https://www.nanobebe.com/the-amazing-nutritional-qualities-of-breast-milk (Accessed: 04 November, 2019)
3. Simon, A. K. et al. (2015) ‘Evaluation of tHe Immune System in Humans from Infancy to Old Age’, Proc Biol Sci, 282 (1821), p 20143085 https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.3085
4. Ramhealthcare (2018) Breastfeeding – bonding. Available at: https://breastpumps.byramhealthcare.com/blog/index.php/2018/11/23/breastfeeding-bonding (Accessed: 09 November, 2019)
WHY MORE MOTHERS DON’T BREASTFEED THEIR BABIES
This article, written by Christine Chung, originally appeared in Malnutrition Deeply (Dec. 15, 2017), and you can find the original here
From barely regulated marketing to a lack of healthcare services, there are many factors that make it difficult for mothers in developing countries to breastfeed their babies. The solution, say experts, requires more than just saying “breast is best.”
About a hundred mothers with their babies attend a breastfeeding flash mob in Hong Kong to promote the practice and urge the government to establish policy to protect the right of breastfeeding mothers in public place, June 14, 2014. AP/Kin Cheung
AROUND THE WORLD, medical professionals recommend breastfeeding babies exclusively for their first six months. But despite the overwhelming evidence of its benefits, breastfeeding is not the norm. Globally, nearly two out of three infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended six months – a rate that has remained steady for the past two decades.
According to UNICEF, breastfeeding has “profound impact on a child’s survival, health, nutrition and development.” Research shows that breast milk provides all of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals an infant needs in its first six months. The act of breastfeeding has been shown to stimulate the proper growth of a baby’s mouth and jaw and, later in life, can have a positive effect on behavior and speech, as well as lower the risk of chronic conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure and childhood leukemia. A series in the Lancet suggested that the deaths of 823,000 children and 20,000 mothers each year could be averted through universal breastfeeding.
Even with all the benefits associated with breast milk, many women are bottle feeding their babies. For some, medical and living issues make breastfeeding impossible. But for others, say health experts, the choice to turn to the bottle is influenced by a number of factors – from marketing to lack of healthcare services – that make it difficult for women to get the best out of breastfeeding.
Continue reading.
HOW EMPLOYERS CAN EMPOWER NURSING EMPLOYEES TO ADOPT EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING.
Employers have important roles to play in improving the well-being of any given nation by providing support to their nursing employees. Although effective strategies for providing such support may vary with location, here are some basic requirements that will enable female employees to breastfeed optimally at work.
1. Provision of an appropriate place for breastfeeding.
Too often, babies are prematurely weaned due to lack of adequate space for breastfeeding to take place. Therefore, employers should endeavour to make lactation rooms available to their female workers as part of their social responsibilities.
This will also limit awkward feelings in mothers while breastfeeding their babies in public or in the presence of male co-workers. For breastfeeding practice to enjoy support in the workplace, it should not inconvenient others or make co-workers uncomfortable.
Besides, lactation rooms should be safe and hygienic. Consigning female empoyees to the toilet or bathrooms to pump or breastfeed is not a human nor a wholesome practice. In the absence of a lactation room, other suitable rooms such as the meeting hall could be provided for use. The important things are that the place offerred should be safe, hygienic and private.
2. Provision of lactation breaks for nursing employees.
Breastfeeding is a time consuming activity. Employers should provide enough time so that babies could enjoy their meals and not just to have their stomach pumped up with milk in seconds. This is an investment that could yield returns in terms of reduced absenteeism or request for leave, lower healthcare spending and retention of skilled workforce. Where applicable, employers could allow nursing mother to work remotely on tasks assigned or provide them with flexible schedules.
3. Provision of adequate support for nursing employees.
Employers who are sensitive to the needs of nursing mothers should be willing to provide conditions of service that will encourage exclusive breastfeeding practice in the workplace. Breastfeeding-friendly policies that shield women from undue harasment by managers or suppervisors will go a long way in providing support for them. Provision for a paid maternity leave will be an added advantage.
WHY MEN, RATHER THAN WOMEN, ARE THE HOMEMAKERS.
The rivalry between men and women has raged on for centuries without signs of abating anytime soon. Women now pursue their careers at the expense of their roles as mothers and thus have less time for house chores. This has popped up debates about who really is the homemaker. Is it the husband or the wife?
A homemaker is a person whose main job is to take care of his or her family, home, and children. Although the primary role of men is to provide for and maintain law and order at home, they now have to do extra work to give support to their wives. Not only do men patrol the markets more often than women, but also have to cook for the kids as well. It is now common to see fathers taking the kids to and from school. Even though women conceive a child for 9 months, it is the father who bears both mother and child through those months by giving support and hard work! BLOGGERS’ DIGEST
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