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What does Breastfeeding mean?

Baby Care
 Photo; Courtesy

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.

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