Aug. 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week.
Two in five children are put to breast within their first hour of life. The hope is to change those numbers by educating people about how beneficial breastfeeding is for both mom and baby.
The World Health Assembly hopes to increase the global rates of women who exclusively breastfeed to 50 percent by 2025. Breastfeeding is linked to 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Developmental Goals.
Objectives of World Breastfeeding Week include providing participants with the understanding of aspects of breastfeeding along with the management of lactation.
This is all based on the most current evidence.
Another objective is to expand participants’ role to better understand, support and apply international policy recommendations on both infant as well as young child feeding.
The final objective is to give participants skills to work with mothers and babies in any surrounding or condition.
Breastfeeding is considered the best possible source of nutrition for babies as colostrum or “pre-milk” is provided after delivery giving newborns many antibodies they would not get from formula.
Breastfeeding gives the baby’s digestive system a much deserved break.
Breast milk is higher in sugar than colostrum and is what a baby needs.
Babies need lots of calories and need to nurse often in order to sustain their rapid growth as breast milk digests faster than formula. It is easy for an infant’s body to break down which leads to fewer stomach aches, diarrhea or constipation.
It also greatly reduces risks of sickness and infection as well as greatly reducing the risk of SIDS. Breastfed babies enjoy the skin to skin contact with mom which is reassuring to infants making them feel safe.
The benefits of breastfeeding for the mother include helping to lose pregnancy weight as milk production utilizes 300 to 500 calories per day. It also helps the mother’s uterus to shrink back to pre-pregnancy size. The oxytocin that releases when baby nurses help the mother’s uterus to contract, which greatly reduces the delivery of post-delivery blood loss. Nursing helps the uterus to return to its normal size much quicker in comparison to mothers who formula feed their infants.
The list goes on and on; it is eco-friendly, women save money and the mother forms a special bond with the baby just to name a few.
Those who need help or know of someone who needs help or has breastfeeding questions should contact the Jackson County Department of Public Health, which advocates breastfeeding.
To find out more about the Jackson County WIC program or to explore eligibility call 587-8243.
