It is that time of the year again when Malawi joins the rest of the world to celebrate breastfeeding for one whole week. This year breastfeeding is being celebrated under the theme: breastfeeding a winning goal: for life.According to World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), this year’s theme emphasizes the importance of increasing and sustaining the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding - in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) countdown, and beyond. Hence call on all celebrants of WBW to Protect, Promote and Support Breastfeeding: as it is a vital Life-Saving Goal.As we are celebrating Breastfeeding this week, I am very touched with the way UN has linked each of the millennium development goals to breastfeeding.The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that were established following the Millennium Summitof the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. All 189 United Nations member states at the time committed to help achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015.Some countries have made progress in trying to achieve these goals while others have lagged behind. Efforts in trying to achieve the Millennium development goals are continuing in the countdown to 2015.I would like to liken this to a football match with our country as a team who has been given a target of eight goals and that one of the strategies the team can use to achieve their target is to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. Scoring 8 goals in a football match is no small thing and so the team has to really work very hard.It is a known fact that the benefits of breastfeeding out-weighs the disadvantages, if at all there are any. As Lawrence (2009) states that the disadvantages of breastfeeding are those perceived by the mother as an inconvenience to her since there are no known disadvantages to the normal infant.Hence, it is important that breastfeeding should start immediately after birth and the baby should be exclusively fed up to six months when you start giving complementary feeds and breastfeeding should continue up to not less than two years.Exclusive breastfeeding and continued breastfeeding for two years provide quality energy and nutrients, and can help prevent hunger and malnutrition and that breastfeeding is a cost-effective way of feeding babies and children since it is affordable to everyone and does not burden household budgets compared to artificial feeding and so helps to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.Breastfeeding also contributes to goal number 2 of achieving universal primary education since it significantly reduces the risk of stunting and enhances mental development and thus promoting learning.On the other hand, breastfeeding promotes gender equality and women empowerment which is goal number three by giving every child a fair and equal start in life (Most differences in growth between sexes begin as complementary foods are added into the diet, and that gender preference begin to act on feeding decisions. In addition, breastfeeding is a right of women.Breastfeeding reduces child mortality by about 13 % with improved breastfeeding practices alone, and 6% with improved complementary feeding. In addition, about 50-60% of under-five mortality is secondary to malnutrition largely caused by inadequate complementary feeding following on from poor breastfeeding practicesBreastfeeding also improves maternal health. For instance breastfeeding is associated with decreased maternal postpartum blood loss, decreased breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and osteoporosis. Breastfeeding also contributes to increasing birth intervals, reducing the risks of pregnancies too close together.Therefore, as WABA and Malawi government is calling on all of us, let us support, promote and of course protect breastfeeding this week and even after this week. Each time you do that be reminded that you are contributing to the achievement of millennium development goals.
It is that time of the year again when Malawi joins the rest of the world to celebrate breastfeeding for one whole week. This year breastfeeding is being celebrated under the theme: breastfeeding a winning goal: for life.According to World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), this year’s theme emphasizes the importance of increasing and sustaining the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding - in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) countdown, and beyond. Hence call on all celebrants of WBW to Protect, Promote and Support Breastfeeding: as it is a vital Life-Saving Goal.As we are celebrating Breastfeeding this week, I am very touched with the way UN has linked each of the millennium development goals to breastfeeding.The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that were established following the Millennium Summitof the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. All 189 United Nations member states at the time committed to help achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015.Some countries have made progress in trying to achieve these goals while others have lagged behind. Efforts in trying to achieve the Millennium development goals are continuing in the countdown to 2015.I would like to liken this to a football match with our country as a team who has been given a target of eight goals and that one of the strategies the team can use to achieve their target is to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. Scoring 8 goals in a football match is no small thing and so the team has to really work very hard.It is a known fact that the benefits of breastfeeding out-weighs the disadvantages, if at all there are any. As Lawrence (2009) states that the disadvantages of breastfeeding are those perceived by the mother as an inconvenience to her since there are no known disadvantages to the normal infant.Hence, it is important that breastfeeding should start immediately after birth and the baby should be exclusively fed up to six months when you start giving complementary feeds and breastfeeding should continue up to not less than two years.Exclusive breastfeeding and continued breastfeeding for two years provide quality energy and nutrients, and can help prevent hunger and malnutrition and that breastfeeding is a cost-effective way of feeding babies and children since it is affordable to everyone and does not burden household budgets compared to artificial feeding and so helps to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.Breastfeeding also contributes to goal number 2 of achieving universal primary education since it significantly reduces the risk of stunting and enhances mental development and thus promoting learning.On the other hand, breastfeeding promotes gender equality and women empowerment which is goal number three by giving every child a fair and equal start in life (Most differences in growth between sexes begin as complementary foods are added into the diet, and that gender preference begin to act on feeding decisions. In addition, breastfeeding is a right of women.Breastfeeding reduces child mortality by about 13 % with improved breastfeeding practices alone, and 6% with improved complementary feeding. In addition, about 50-60% of under-five mortality is secondary to malnutrition largely caused by inadequate complementary feeding following on from poor breastfeeding practicesBreastfeeding also improves maternal health. For instance breastfeeding is associated with decreased maternal postpartum blood loss, decreased breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and osteoporosis. Breastfeeding also contributes to increasing birth intervals, reducing the risks of pregnancies too close together.Therefore, as WABA and Malawi government is calling on all of us, let us support, promote and of course protect breastfeeding this week and even after this week. Each time you do that be reminded that you are contributing to the achievement of millennium development goals.