Why Breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding is one of the best ways a mother can give her baby the healthiest start to life. By putting an infant to the breast within an hour of birth, and thereafter maintaining this as the sole form of feeding for the infant’s first six months, a mother can ensure that important antibodies will be passed on, protecting the baby from life-threatening diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia.
Breastfeeding is one of the best ways a mother can give her baby the healthiest start to life. By putting an infant to the breast within an hour of birth (a practise also known as ‘early initiation’), and thereafter maintaining this as the sole form of feeding for the infant’s first six months, a mother can ensure that important antibodies will be passed on, protecting the baby from life-threatening diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. Research carried out by the World Health Organization has shown that children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years whose main source of nutrients come from breastmilk, and whose diet is supplemented by healthy foods, often score highly in intelligence tests, and are probably less likely to suffer from obesity and diabetes later on in life.But breastfeeding is also a healthy choice for mothers! It can not only help to prevent severe bleeding after delivery, called postpartum haemorrhage, but can reduce the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.So why is breast milk preferable to formula?Formula does not contain the antibodies needed to build a baby’s healthy immune system, and in addition there is also the risk that the water used to prepare infant formula or sterilize a bottle and teat may be contaminated, and infect a baby with life-threatening bacteria. In countries where safe water is not guaranteed, this is a particularly high risk.In Sierra Leone, less than half (45%) of newborn babies are fed within the first hour of life and only a third (32%) are fed with only breast milk up to six months of age (MICS 2010). This is very low even when compared with other low-income countries, such as Malawi, where almost all babies (95%) are fed within the first hour after birth and two thirds of them are fed with breast milk only up to the age of 6 months (DHS 2010).Natasha Kaplinksy, a British newsreader, TV presenter and mother, explores the barriers to breastfeeding in Sierra Leone in this video by Save the Children. She visits a village where Save the Children have are working to improve breastfeeding practices, as this can give babies the best start in life and gives them a better chance of survival.In Sierra Leone, women with HIV are advised to follow WHO guidance on breastfeeding and HIV. See here for the national AIDS Secretariat’s resources page with links to Government strategies, plans and information on HIV.How can you support a mama to breastfeed her baby so it grows up strong and healthy? Read this MamaYe Facts and Figures on Breastfeeding to learn more about the benefits and share the news.This blog was updated in July 2014.

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