Help establish breastfeeding as cultural norm

To promote breastfeeding and its many benefits for the mother and child, the World Health Organisation (WHO) celebrates the week between August 1 and 7 every year as World Breastfeeding Week.

Breastfeeding is the natural method through which a mother feeds her milk to her baby, thereby providing nutrients, fluids and even antibodies against diseases.

It is, therefore, an extremely healthy practice that provides a baby with the best start in life possible. The WHO and experts around the world recommend that all mothers should exclusively breastfeed their babies for at least the first six months of their lives.

Substantial evidence has proven that early initiation of breastfeeding, within one hour of birth, protects the newborn from acquiring infections and reduces newborn mortality; boosts their immune system, increases their intellectual abilities and protects mothers from some cancers, among other benefits.

In 1991, the WHO and UNICEF initiated the World Breastfeeding Week with the goal to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life because science has proven that it yields many health benefits, including providing critical nutrients and protection from deadly diseases.

Ghana was among the countries that got caught up in the momentum and aggressively promoted six months of exclusive breastfeeding as one of the best investments to saving human lives and improving the health, social and economic well-being of individuals and nations.

The Ghana Health Service designated many hospitals and clinics across the country as “Baby friendly” facilities for actively implementing the guidelines and protocols for exclusive breastfeeding, and the numbers of mothers who engaged in the practice soared.

Sadly, this is no longer the case. The exclusive breastfeeding rate of 63 per cent in 2008 has currently plummeted to 43 per cent.

This underscores the need to improve current support systems for exclusive breastfeeding, especially, by creating the enabling environment in the workplaces, markets and all public places for women to breastfeed.

Many mothers are also not breastfeeding exclusively due to common myths about this natural and healthy practice. Many have immense misconceptions about it.

This creates a major barrier to proper breastfeeding practices being implemented in the country.

Some of the most common myths are that breastfeeding ruins the shape of the woman’s breasts, the nipples hurt when the woman breastfeeds and that some mothers don’t produce enough milk.

According to UNICEF, it is natural for new mothers to experience some discomfort during the first few days of breastfeeding. It is also natural for nipples to feel sore and even bleed when the baby starts teething; but other than that, breastfeeding should not hurt.

If it does, it means the mother is likely to be positioning the baby wrongly or not making sure that the baby is latched to the nipples properly.

Mothers with these issues could benefit from professional help, including proper support, diet, rest and exercise during the breastfeeding months, which are also important.

In addition, proper maternal counselling and awareness programmes are needed to completely dispel these myths.

The Daily Graphic agrees with the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr Charles Abani, that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is prudent to reiterate the benefits of breast milk to safeguarding the lives of newborns, particularly, when the WHO has confirmed that the benefits of breast milk to mother and child far outweigh any risk that may be associated with COVID-19.

All stakeholders are needed to work collectively to help establish exclusive breastfeeding as a cultural norm.