- World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated the first week of August and the
entire month is considered World Breastfeeding Month. More than 120
countries will be hosting activities during August to raise awareness. The
years landmark Summer Olympics in Beijing, and was designed to direct focus on the need
to support mothers in achieving the gold standard of infant feeding
practices: exclusive breastfeeding for six months, followed by appropriate
complementary foods and continued breastfeeding for two years and
beyond.
You may think that sounds far fetched, however statistics are available to
back up this statement. UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) reports
that if infants worldwide were given only mother's milk with no food or formula until the age
of six months 1.3 million lives could be saved this year.
The Marion County Health Department celebrated World Breastfeeding Week August 1-7,
2008. Rose Straeter, MCHD Breastfeeding Counselor, requested all breastfeeding
mothers to participate in a special event, a photo opportunity.
Angie Kirk, a professional photographer, took pictures during World Breastfeeding Week
at the Marion County Health Department. Kirk's style is simple, not with a lot of props or
posing; instead she observes to capture individuality. Kirk is a graduate of the New York
Institute of Professional Photography and has just recently finished a course entitled,
"Bellies and Babies."
Kirk had special promotional packages for the World Breastfeeding Week celebration in
August. There was no sitting fee and prices did not include tax. Packages available were:
1-8x10, 2-5x7's, 8 wallets for $34.95; 1-11x14 for $19.99; 1-8x10 for $15.99; 1-5x7 for
$9.99 and 8-wallets for $9.99. Kirk's photo gallery can be viewed at www.photosbyangie.
com.
One participant at each location will receive a free package. Winners of packages and
other prizes will be announced following both events. We would like to thank all mothers
who participated in this event.
UNICEF also states that more than 10 million children die annually from preventable
causes like diarrhea and pneumonia. The agency provides information that shows how
3,500 lives could be saved each day if every baby were exclusively breastfed for the first
six months. Now that is a startling statistic.
A quote from Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler from "The Art of Happiness A Handbook
for Living. 1998" says "It begins at birth. Our very first act after birth is to suck our
mother's....milk. This is an act of affection, of compassion. Without this act, we cannot
survive. That's clear...That's the way of life. That's reality."
Why is the first hour important? Healthy infants placed skin -to-skin on their mother have
remarkable capabilities. In this alert state they can even crawl to the mother's breast and
latch on to the breast. A video capturing this amazing natural act can be found at
www.breastcrawl.org/index.html.
Both the WHO (World Health Organization) and the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics)
recommend exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continuation till at least the end of
the first year and longer if mutually desired.
- The "Convention of the Rights of the Child"
discusses the inherent right to life of every child.
They point out breastfeeding within the first hour
after delivery helps to ensure the child's survival.
Women have a right to this knowledge and to
receive the support that they need to initiate
breastfeeding.
- So why is skin-to-skin important? The mother's
body helps keep the baby warm. The baby is less
stressed, calmer and has steadier breathing and
One drop of breastmilk contains millions of living white blood cells. Colustrum is rich in
immunologically active cells, antibodies and other protective proteins. Thus it serves as
the baby's first immunization. It contains growth factors which help the infant's intestine to
mature and function effectively making it more difficult for micro-organisms and allergens
to enter. It stimulates the baby's bowels so meconium is cleared quickly from the gut which
helps reduce jaundice.
In the first two months of life, an infant who is not exclusively breastfed is up to 25 times
more likely to die from diarrhea and four times more likely to die from pneumonia than a
non-breastfed baby, says UNICEF. They also say growth and development may stall and
the child stands a greater risk of obesity, heart disease and gastro-intestinal problems in
later years.
Unfortunately even with all these facts and numerous statistics only 39 per cent of babies
worldwide are being breastfed exclusively in the first six months.
You may want to take a look at The State of the World's Breastfeeding Report Card
on the Initiation of Breastfeeding within one hour at www.worldbreastfeedingtrends.org.
In the United States we believe our health care and water sources are better than those in
third world countries. So how do our statistics compare to worldwide? A study from
"Pediatrics" the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published these
facts. "Breastfeeding is associated
with a reduction in risk for post-
neonatal death...promoting
breastfeeding has the potential
to save or delay --750 post-
neonatal deaths in the United
States each year."
What can you do to make a difference?
Make an effort to share with mothers the importance of breastfeeding initiation in the first
hour. Find ways to support mothers who are breastfeeding. Start with ONE person per
day! Remember each small step can lead to the larger outcome of saving ONE MILLION
babies.
_______________________________________________________________________
- Sources include: (WBW) World Breastfeeding Week, WABA (World Alliance for
Breastfeeding Action, IBFAN (The International Baby Food Action Network), UNICEF
(The United Nations Children's Fund), UN News Centre, Pediatrics, Official Journal of
the American Academy of Pediatrics.
World Breastfeeding Week: August 1-7, 2008 |
