Anguilla will be observing Breastfeeding Week from 24-29 November. This year’s World Breastfeeding Week theme, ‘BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT: CLOSE TO MOTHERS’, draws attention to the need for breastfeeding women to have all the support that is necessary for successful breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life of all newborns in Anguilla is still the goal of health professionals here.
Benefits of breastfeeding
The number of benefits to both mother and child resulting from breastfeeding is staggering. The benefits extend well beyond basic nutrition. In addition to containing all the vitamins and nutrients the newborn baby’s needs in the first six months of life, breast milk is packed with disease-fighting substances that protect the baby from illness. There are also many benefits for the mother as well. Breastfeeding can reduce the mother’s stress level and the risk of postpartum depression. Numerous studies have found that the longer women breastfeed, the more they are protected against breast and ovarian cancer. For breast cancer, nursing for at least a year appears to have the most protective effect.
Why is support for breastfeeding mothers so important?
New mothers face many challenges in the first few weeks after childbirth. There is no doubt that the vast majority of new mothers can successfully breastfeed their children. There are only a few medical reasons that contraindicated breastfeeding. While the majority of women delivering at the Princess Alexandra hospital do initiate breastfeeding, some give up shortly after. This might be due to lack of support. It is important that new mothers continue to have day-to-day support once they leave hospital. There might be many reasons why mothers stop breastfeeding. Some of these include the following:
• Mothers having difficulty getting baby to attach to nipples
• Perception that there is not enough breast milk
• Peer pressure not to breastfeed
• Adults encouraging new mothers to add solid foods too early in the child’s life
Forms of support necessary for breastfeeding mothers
Several partners/groups are important in providing support to new mothers. These include:
Family/relatives/friends
Family members, especially fathers/partners, are very important in providing support for breastfeeding mothers. This support must start during the pregnancy so that the woman has the confidence to breastfeed exclusively for at least six months after childbirth.
Health care facilities
It is important that health care providers provide the necessary support so that mothers can successfully breastfeed their children. All workers coming into contact with pregnant women and new mothers should be trained in counseling skills to support mothers before and after birth. Officials at the Princess Alexandra Hospital must make the necessary steps for the facility to be designated a baby-friendly facility. (A maternity facility can be designated ‘baby-friendly’ when it does not accept free or low-cost breast milk substitutes, feeding bottles or teats, and has implemented 10 specific steps to support successful breastfeeding).
Workplace practices
Many places in Anguilla, including government facilities, do not have adequate facilities for mothers to breastfeed their infants. Some employers force their workers to take maternity leave at an early stage in pregnancy (before 38 weeks of pregnancy) making it difficult for new mothers to have more time with their newborns after delivery. This is a major impediment to successful breastfeeding for many employed mothers.
Societal issues
Some members of the public do not wish to have new mothers breastfeeding in public places. This negative attitude can cause some mothers to give up on breastfeeding. A change in attitude towards breastfeeding in public may be one very effective way to increase breastfeeding rates in Anguilla.
Conclusion
The advantages for successfully breasting newborns are numerous. There are benefits for both the infant and the nursing mother. Attempts continue to encourage more mothers to breastfeed in Anguilla. We are encouraging all mothers to exclusively breastfeed their infants for the first six months of life and continue for as long as two years. For this to happen, the nursing mother needs a lot of support especially from husbands/partners, relatives, friends and society as a whole. Play your part in encouraging breastfeeding for all new mothers in Anguilla.
Ask Your Doctor is a health education column and is not a substitute for medical advice from your physician. Dr Brett Hodge is an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist and Family Doctor who has over thirty years in clinical practice. Dr Hodge has a medical practice in the Johnson Building in The Valley.
