Breastfeeding Support for All: Building a Supportive Environment for Mothers and Babies

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Still in line with this year’s theme, “Breastfeeding Support for All”, highlights the need for an all inclusive, proper and complete support system to encourage mothers globally to breastfeed effectively. This year’s campaign focuses on bridging the gaps in breastfeeding support, seeing that every mother, regardless of her circumstances, gains access to the resources and assistance she needs. World Breastfeeding Week 2024 serves as a reminder of the importance of breastfeeding and the need for continued efforts to support and promote this vital practice.

The Importance of Breastfeeding

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Breastfeeding offers numerous benefits for both infants and mothers. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods for up to two years or beyond. Breastfeeding offers numerous advantages which includes but not limited:

1. Nutritional Benefits: Breast milk is the optimal source of nutrition for infants. It contains the right balance of nutrients, including proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, which are essential for a baby’s growth and development.
2. Immune Support: Breast milk is rich in antibodies and other immunological factors that help protect infants from infections and diseases. It reduces the risk of respiratory infections, gastrointestinal illnesses, and other common childhood ailments.
3. Bonding and Emotional Benefits: Breastfeeding fosters a strong emotional bond between mother and baby. The physical closeness, skin-to-skin contact, and eye contact during breastfeeding enhance the emotional connection and promote a sense of security for the infant.
4. Health Benefits for Mothers: Breastfeeding has numerous health benefits for mothers. It helps in postpartum recovery by promoting uterine contractions and reducing postpartum bleeding. Long-term benefits include a lower risk of breast and ovarian cancers, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
5. Economic and Environmental Benefits: Breastfeeding is cost-effective and environmentally friendly. It eliminates the need for formula production, packaging, and transportation, thereby reducing the environmental impact.

Despite the well-documented health benefits for both mother and child, breastfeeding rates remain suboptimal globally. A complex interplay of factors hinders mothers from initiating or continuing breastfeeding. Below are obstacles that prevent women from fully realizing the advantages of breastfeeding:

1. Lack of Knowledge and Misinformation: Many mothers lack accurate information about breastfeeding techniques, benefits, and how to overcome common challenges. Myths from family, friends, or even healthcare providers can create confusion and doubts and mislead lactating mothers.
2. Workplace Barriers: Returning to work often poses a huge barrier to continued breastfeeding. Many workplaces lack adequate facilities for breastfeeding or expressing milk, in addition to inadequate maternity leave and insufficient breaks or support from employers and colleagues.
3. Social and Cultural Pressures: Social norms and cultural beliefs can impact a mother’s decision to breastfeed. In some cultures, breastfeeding in public may be stigmatized, leading to embarrassment and reluctance to breastfeed outside the home.
4. Mental Health Issues: Postpartum depression and anxiety can affect a mother’s ability to breastfeed. The emotional and psychological challenges of new motherhood coupled with postpartum depression can affect a mothers ability to breastfeed and make breastfeeding seem overwhelming.

Strategies for Closing the Gap

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Policy and Legislation

Effective policies that support breastfeeding are very important and should not be overlooked. Governments must prioritize creating and enforcing policies that protect and promote breastfeeding, ensuring that all mothers have the right to breastfeed. These include extending maternity leave, implementing baby-friendly workplace policies, and enforcing regulations against the marketing of breast milk substitutes. Cities like Hong Kong have made headway in this area through the extension of her statutory maternity leave and prohibiting discrimination against breastfeeding.

Healthcare System Support

Healthcare systems play a vital role in promoting breastfeeding. Hospitals and clinics should provide comprehensive lactation support and education as part of maternal and newborn care. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program by WHO and UNICEF that encourages hospitals to adopt practices that promote breastfeeding from birth. Integrating breastfeeding support into routine maternal and child health services can significantly improve breastfeeding rates and outcomes.

Community and Peer Support

Communities can create a supportive environment for breastfeeding through mother-to-mother support programs. These programs train experienced mothers as peer counselors to offer guidance and encouragement to new mothers. In Hong Kong, initiatives like the Breastfeeding Peer Support Programme and organizations such as La Leche League provide invaluable support to breastfeeding mothers. Peer support can help mothers navigate common breastfeeding challenges and foster a sense of community and solidarity.

Workplace Support

Workplaces can support breastfeeding mothers by providing designated lactation rooms, flexible work hours, and adequate break times for breastfeeding or expressing milk. Employers can create a culture that values and supports breastfeeding, making it easier for mothers to continue breastfeeding upon returning to work. Legislation that mandates paid maternity leave and workplace accommodations for breastfeeding can have a significant impact on breastfeeding rates and maternal well-being.

Education and Awareness

Raising awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding and educating families, communities, and healthcare providers is essential. Public health campaigns, educational programs, and media initiatives can help normalize breastfeeding and dispel common myths and misconceptions. Providing accurate and accessible information about breastfeeding can empower mothers to make informed decisions and seek the support they need.

Global Efforts and Campaigns

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World Breastfeeding Week 2024 aims to mobilize global action to support breastfeeding. This includes engaging policymakers, healthcare providers, communities, and families to create an environment where breastfeeding is normalized and supported. One of the notable initiatives is UNICEF’s effort to set a world record for the highest number of lactating mothers breastfeeding simultaneously. On August 1, 2024, 30,000 mothers across Nigeria will participate in this event to highlight the importance of breastfeeding and challenge harmful nutritional practices.

Additionally, the WHO has outlined several strategies to improve breastfeeding rates, including implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding in all maternity facilities, providing community-based breastfeeding support, and promoting breastfeeding-friendly environments in public spaces and workplaces.

In conclusion, Breastfeeding is a fundamental right of every mother and child. The theme of World Breastfeeding Week 2024, “Breastfeeding Support for All”, emphasizes the collective responsibility of governments, communities, healthcare systems, and workplaces to provide the necessary support for breastfeeding. By addressing the barriers and implementing supportive policies and practices, we can ensure that every mother has the opportunity to give her child the best start in life through breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding support must be comprehensive, inclusive, and accessible to all mothers. By closing the gaps in breastfeeding support, we can improve the health and well-being of infants and mothers worldwide.

By Judith Obiano

References

Family Health Service. (2024). World Breastfeeding Week 2024 — Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All. Retrieved from https://www.fhs.gov.hk

PAHO. (2024). World Breastfeeding Week 2024. Pan American Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.paho.org

UNICEF. (2024). World Breastfeeding Week 2024. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org

Victora, C. G., Bahl, R., Barros, A. J., França, G. V., Horton, S., Krasevec, J., … & Rollins, N. C. (2016). Breastfeeding in the 21st century: epidemiology, mechanisms, and lifelong effect. The Lancet, 387(10017), 475–490.

WHO. (2024a). World Breastfeeding Week 2024. World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int

WHO. (2024b). Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding: the baby-friendly hospital initiative. World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int.