B Best for Mum and Baby
Breastfeeding is loaded with benefits for both the nursing mother and infant.
Longer periods of breastfeeding are linked to a reduction in overweight and obesity in the child and
can also lead to an increase in IQ of three to four points.
For the mothers, the benefits of breastfeeding include a reduction in breast cancer deaths,
improvement in the spacing between children and a reduction in the risk of diabetes.
It could also improve birth spacing.
R Readily Available
Breastmilk is readily available and safe because breast milk is considered safe drinking water for the
babies.
Breastfeeding is cheap, the family saves resources that could have been used to buy other milks. A
breastfed baby is less ill thus preventing the losses in time and resources for taking them for
treatment. A well fed baby will grow to be productive to the family and the nation.
E Expressing and storage of breast milk
It refers to milk squeezing milk out of the breast either by hand or a breast pump for storage to be
fed to the infant a later time.
Unless expressing milk is accepted culturally, mothers will continue to do mixed feeding whenever
they have to be separated from the baby for any reason
A Advocates and breast feeding
Cultures are a critical component in the acceptance of exclusive breastfeeding. Kenyans have not
embraced the culture of mothers expressing milk and keeping it for the baby to feed when the
mother is away.
In some communities, children are given water and other traditional medicines to keep the baby
calm. These practices interfere with breastfeeding.
S Sustainable Development Goals and breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is key for sustainable development and guarantees that if exclusively done for the first
six months is the key to nutrition and food security; health, development and survival for the infant
and thereby achieving full educational potential
Breastfeeding is an environmentally sustainable method of feeding compared to the alternatives.
T The Gender Question
Breastfeeding mothers feel more empowered because they play a big role in bringing up healthy
children. They create an environment for babies to feel loved and secure and they practice the same
when they grow older.
F First hour of life and breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is encouraged in the first hour of birth because the first milk that a mother produces
after birth, colostrum is rich in nutrients that protect the baby from illness.
E Employers Friends and family
Employers are urged to review of workplace policies regarding flex time, including short breaks to
express breast milk to support women who are exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months
after delivery.
Advocacy for breastfeeding begins with the supportive network available from the family setting
including fathers and grandmothers about breastfeeding
E Education and breastfeeding
Breastfed babies have a higher IQ and they perform well in school.
D Dangerous practices and breastfeeding
In some communities, children are given water and other traditional medicines to keep the baby
calm. These practices interfere with breastfeeding.
I Infectious diseases and breastfeeding
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of infection for children below two years. Antibodies are passed on
through mother's milk to fight prevailing infections.
N Nutritional benefits
Breastmilk is nutritious food to the baby, it prevents hunger and malnutrition. Even when there is
food insecurity in the family babies can survive on breastmilk.
G Go for Gold!
Support mums to breastfeed anytime, anywhere.