Celebration of Breastfeeding Week

NEWS COMMENTARY ON THE LAUNCH OF BREASTFEEDING WEEK 

For the past 22 years, breastfeeding advocates, governments and UN agencies have been celebrating the week to highlight the benefits of breastfeeding as an infant food security agenda, and the best promoter of Maternal and Child health. 

Each year has had a peculiar area of consideration including "Going to the Gold", and "Talk to me about breastfeeding". This year's Breastfeeding Week  is on the theme "Breastfeeding , a winning Goal for life". This relates directly to achieving all the MDGs. 

Health experts recommend that breastfeeding is initiated within one hour of birth, sustained exclusively for the first six months of life and continued for two years or beyond with adequate complementary feeding from six  months. Breastfeeding has repeatedly been shown to be the single most effective way to prevent infants deaths. 

It plays a major role in children's health and development, and  is as well beneficial to mothers' health. Exclusive breastfeeding and adequate complementary feeding are key interventions for improving child survival, potentially saving the lives of about 20 percent of children below five years. 

According to UNICEF's State of
the World's Children Report of 2012, only 37 percent of the 134.6
million infants born worldwide were exclusively breastfed in the first six months. This highly compromises the chance of survival and healthy development of  85 million babies. It is on record that between 1988 and 2008, Ghana performed very well in breastfeeding figures especially on exclusive breastfeeding, rising from two percent in 1988 to 63 percent in 2008. 

A survey in 2011 however showed a drop from 63 percent to 43 percent. This calls for a step up in advocacy to halt the falling figures in breastfeeding practice. 

What accounts for this slack! What has happened to the Baby-Friendly Hospitals? How are men encouraged to support their wives in this venture? CHIPS compounds and other social groupings could be used effectively in propagating the
breastfeeding messages to whip up public interest. 

The objective of this year's celebration is to spread the information on breastfeeding
and the Infant Young Child Feeding program that meet all the MDGs not only goals 4 and 5. With  the countdown  to 2015 on,  it is important to step up actions to promote, protect and support breastfeeding as a key intervention in the achievement of the MDGs  and the post-2015
era.  

Breastfeeding plays an important role in reducing the effects of
extreme poverty by offering safe and sustainable food and nutrition, health and emotional security to infants and young children. One of the high points of this year's celebration is to stimulate interest among young people of both genders to see the relevance of breastfeeding in today's changing world. This should perhaps receive the greatest applause since technology is having a negative impact on this group of people. A number of women, especially young
professionals are opting for Ceasarian births. 

What is the guarantee then that they will breastfeed their infants for the first touch
nutrition. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) should
be commended for instituting the Breastfeeding Week Celebrations to
protect the rights of infants for the correct start to life and
thereafter. The Women's Desk of the TUC should advocate the
development of mother-friendly workplaces and creches to facilitate breastfeeding. 

This will go a long way to encourage working mothers to
practise the exclusive six months and sustained breastfeeding, which
is necessary for healthy children, mothers and a healthy nation.

BY THERESA OWUSU-AKO.