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World Breastfeeding Week
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The Official Theme for 2009:
Breastfeeding: A Vital Emergency Response
Are you ready?
OBJECTIVES OF WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK 2009
To draw attention to the vital role that breastfeeding plays in emergencies worldwide.
To stress the need for active protection and support of breastfeeding before and during emergencies.
To inform mothers, breastfeeding advocates, communities, health professionals, governments, aid agencies, donors, and the media on how they can actively support breastfeeding before and during an emergency.
To mobilise action and nurture networking and collaboration between those with breastfeeding skills and those involved in emergency response.
RATIONALE
Children are the most vulnerable in emergencies – child mortality can soar from 2 to 70 times higher than average due to diarrhoea, respiratory illness and malnutrition.
Breastfeeding is a life saving intervention and protection is greatest for the youngest infants. Even in non-emergency settings, non-breastfed babies under 2 months of age are six times more likely to die.
Emergencies can happen anywhere in the world. Emergencies destroy what is ‘normal,’ leaving caregivers struggling to cope and infants vulnerable to disease and death.
During emergencies, mothers need active support to continue or re-establish breastfeeding.
Emergency preparedness is vital. Supporting breastfeeding in non-emergency settings will strengthen mothers’ capacity to cope in an emergency.
The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is the greatest outreach vehicle for the breastfeeding movement, being celebrated in over 120 countries. Officially it is celebrated from 1-7 August.
Below we present the official letter of support from UNICEF for World Breastfeeding Week 2009.
UNICEF
According to the UNICEF Website:
UNICEF and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action are commemorating World Breastfeeding Week, 1-7 August 2009, by underscoring the vital importance of breastfeeding during emergencies.
Globally, only 38 percent of infants under the age of six months are exclusively breastfed, though research shows that optimal breastfeeding is the single most effective preventive intervention for reducing infant mortality.
Below we present the official letter of support from World Health Organization (WHO) for World Breastfeeding Week 2009.
World Health Organization (WHO)
According to the WHO:
Breastfeeding is the ideal way of providing young infants with the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development. Virtually all mothers can breastfeed, provided they have accurate information, and the support of their family and the health care system. Colostrum, the yellowish, sticky breast milk produced at the end of pregnancy, is recommended by WHO as the perfect food for the newborn, and feeding should be initiated within the first hour after birth. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age.
World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is officially celebrated from 1-7 August each year in over 120 countries to improve the health of the most vulnerable of world population-babies. World Breastfeeding Week is the greatest outreach program to promote feeding with breast milk which is the ultimate food to safeguard and nourish babies in their formative years.
"Breastfeeding: A Vital Emergency Response. Are You Ready?"
This theme for World Breastfeeding Week this year brings into focus the need to promote and support breastfeeding during emergencies for the survival, health and development of infants and young children. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for infants till they are six months old, followed by additional nutritious food, supplemented alongside breast milk until age two or beyond.
Breast milk-the best milk
Breast milk is instantly available and it is the safest and the most secure source of nourishment for babies. It protects the baby against illness and ensures warmth and comfort to the baby that is held close to the nursing mother. Statistics prove that universally, even in non-emergency times, optimal infant feeding practices such as breastfeeding hold the promise of a healthy growth for babies in their formative years. Recent statistics show:
World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is officially celebrated from 1-7 August each year in over 120 countries to improve the health of the most vulnerable of world population-babies. World Breastfeeding Week is the greatest outreach program to promote feeding with breast milk which is the ultimate food to safeguard and nourish babies in their formative years.