World Breastfeeding Week 2011 (Day 2)

Some interesting information from the World Health Organization

Promoting Proper Feeding for Infants and Young Children

Malnutrition is responsible, directly or indirectly for about 1/3 of deaths among children under five. Well above 2/3 of these deaths, often associated with inappropriate feeding practices, occur during the first year of life.
Nutrition and nurturing during the first years of life are both crucial for life-long health and well-being. In infancy, no gift is more precious than breastfeeding; yet barely 1 in 3 infants is exclusively breastfed during the first six months of life.

The World Health Organization recommends that infants start breastfeeding within one hour of life, are exclusively breastfed for six months, with timely introduction of adequate, safe and properly fed complementary foods while continuing breastfeeding for up to two years of age or beyond.

Exclusive Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is an unequaled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants; it is also and integral part of the reproductive process with important implications of the health of mothers. Review of evidence has shown that, on a population basis, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months is the optimal way of feeding infants. Thereafter infants should receive complementary foods with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.
Breast milk is the natural first food for babies, it provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child's nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to 1/3 during the second year of life.
Breast milk promotes sensory and cognitive development, and protects the infant against infectious and chronic diseases. Exclusive breastfeeding reduces infant mortality due to common childhood illnesses such as diarrhea or pneumonia, and helps for a quicker recovery during illness. These effects can be measured in resource-poor and affluent societies. Breastfeeding contributes to the health and well-being of mothers; it helps to space children, reduces the risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer, increases family and national resources, is a secure way of feeding, and is safe for the environment.

To enable mothers to establish and sustain exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, WHO and UNICEF recommend:

• Initiation to breastfeeding within the first hour of life
• Exclusive breastfeeding - that is the infant only receives breast milk without any additional food or drink, not even water
• Breastfeeding on demand - that is as often as the child wants, day and night
• No use of bottles, teats, or pacifiers