”Breastfeeding is the continuation of pregnancy”, “breastfeeding is the expression of mother’s love”, “breastfeeding, the source of happiness” the whole society should pay attention to breastfeeding, breast milk is the most perfect nutrition for babies, the Breast milk is the most nutritionally perfect and safe food for babies. Unfortunately, over the years, due to the existence of “formula nurses”, breastfeeding has been diluted by the smell of commodities and artificial feeding has become popular. Under normal circumstances, a newborn baby, from birth to 6 months, can get all the nutrients needed for growth by relying exclusively on breastfeeding, without adding any supplementary food, including water, including glucose water. Young mothers must firmly believe that even less breast milk is better than no breastfeeding at all in terms of protecting the health of the child. Breastfeeding is the sacred duty of the mother, and breastfeeding should be done on demand, day and night, sucking when you want, stopping when you want, going with the flow, staying away from pacifiers, no water, no glucose water, no milk, formula and other liquids or foods. After the “Milk Powder Gate” incident, suddenly breastfeeding, a behavior that comes from human nature and the benefits are self-explanatory, has become a hot topic of discussion again. Although we all know that breastfeeding has overwhelming benefits, young mothers are deeply aware that breastfeeding is far more difficult in reality than they thought. It is especially urgent to advocate breastfeeding culture, promote scientific knowledge of maternal and child health, and guide and disseminate breastfeeding knowledge in a targeted manner.
In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) jointly developed the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, which aims to revive the world’s attention to the impact of feeding behavior on the nutrition, growth, development and health of infants and young children, as well as the quality of survival. Breastfeeding is the best food for infants. As a global public health recommendation, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life for optimal growth, development and health. The latest Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding clearly recommends exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to 6 months of age. Breastfeeding is one of the four strategic techniques to save child survival. Breast milk is rich in nutrients, easy to digest, absorb and utilize, and also prevents infections.
Breastfeeding is economical, hygienic, safe, contributes to bonding and infant development, helps delay the mother’s second pregnancy, and protects the mother’s health. Breast milk is an essential and ideal natural nutritional food for infants, with the highest bioavailability, and the quality and quantity will change accordingly with the growth needs of the infant, suitable for its growth and development. Breast milk is an immunizing agent for infants (containing immunoglobulins, lysozyme, lactoferrin, macrophages, neutrophils, TB lymphocytes, complement, biphasic factor, etc.) and a recuperative agent for their mothers. Breastfeeding not only prevents infant diarrhea, otitis media, respiratory infections, and cow’s milk protein allergy, but also improves the mother’s sleep, suppresses ovulation, natural contraception, and prevents endometrial cancer, uterine body cancer, and breast cancer. Breastfeeding also provides spiritual nutrition for the child and promotes his or her intellectual development and parent-child relationship. The World Health Organization recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed until 6 months after birth. It also encourages continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age and beyond. The implementation of successful breastfeeding measures should be promoted to increase the breastfeeding rate and give the child the best start in life. The ultimate goal is to benefit the child, the mother and society.
Pre-colostal artificial feeding should be done by choosing the right formula, preventing “dangerous bottles” and helping young mothers to overcome the “temporary breastfeeding crisis”. “There is no mother who has no milk, there is no mother who does not have enough milk, only a mother who has no confidence!” The initial persistence is very crucial. Breastfeeding is the original, scientific and effective method of feeding. To be successful, it requires good prenatal preparation, postnatal mother-infant room, early suckling, follow-up visits, psychological care of the breastfeeding mother, breast care and feeding skills, and other guidance. Studies have shown that exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months can meet the nutritional needs of infants and also protect them from many diseases. Therefore, in 1994, the World Health Assembly urged member countries to encourage exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months.
After 6 months of age, breast milk gradually fails to meet the growth and developmental needs of infants and gaps in energy and nutrients emerge, so complementary foods can be added gradually. up to 12 months of age, breastfeeding can still provide about half of the energy needed by infants. Breastfeeding can be continued until 2 years of age or longer while complementary foods are added. Breast milk is unmatched by any milk product. Infants need the nutritional support of breast milk when they are sick, especially when they have respiratory and digestive diseases. Breastfeeding is the most natural and normal way to raise a child, providing the best nutrition, immune protection and emotional needs for growth and development. No formula can compare to breast milk in terms of nutrition, immune protection or all aspects of infant growth and development. Therefore, breastfeeding is not only beneficial for the mother and the infant, it is also the standard for infant feeding.
Benefits of breastfeeding for infants : 1.
Exclusive breastfeeding for infants within 6 months can meet the needs of their growth and development, making their growth suitable and not easy to be obese. Breast milk contains taurine, an amino acid needed for infant brain development, and its content is 10 to 30 times that of cow’s milk. The essential fatty acids are necessary for the developing brain, eyes and blood vessels.
2.Improve immunity and reduce the occurrence of diseases and discomforts. Breast milk has the right temperature in the body, hygiene will not deteriorate, can prevent allergies, and contains a variety of immune substances, most of its whey protein is anti-infection protein – to protect infants from infection. The risk of diarrhea, respiratory and skin infections is lower in exclusively breastfed infants, and the chance of illness is three times lower in exclusively breastfed children than in artificially fed children within 6 months, and the number of deaths due to diarrhea is 25 times less than in artificially fed children.
3. Beneficial to the development and protection of teeth and facial muscles. The muscle movement of sucking helps the normal development of the face, and can prevent tooth decay caused by bottle-feeding.
4.It is beneficial to promote the development of intelligence, psychological and social adaptability. Frequent contact between infants and their mothers is conducive to the development of their psychological and social adaptability. In the process of breastfeeding mother’s voice, heart sound, smell and skin contact can stimulate the baby’s brain, promote the early development of intelligence. Studies have shown that compared to artificially fed children, breastfed children will perform better in childhood intelligence tests.
5, to enhance parent-child interaction. Breastfeeding helps mothers and children to establish a close, loving relationship that is “parent-child relationship”. Breastfeeding gives the mother a sense of satisfaction. Skin-to-skin contact immediately after delivery helps to establish a “parent-child relationship”. Skin-to-skin contact between mother and child, looking at each other, and the mother’s caresses make the baby feel the warmth of the mother’s love and bring the mother and child closer together. The process of breastfeeding is the process of transmitting mother’s love, and it is also the process of mother and child getting to know each other and attaching to each other. In this sense, breast milk not only provides material nutrition for the baby, but also a kind of “spiritual nutrition”. At the same time, it gives the baby a full sense of satisfaction and security.
The benefits of breastfeeding for the mother: 1.
1, the mother from breastfeeding to get the mother’s sensitivity, conducive to postpartum recovery. The oxytocin produced with sucking promotes uterine contraction, which can reduce postpartum bleeding and promote uterine recovery.
2.Postpartum amenorrhea allows storage of iron, protein and other nutrients and allows contraception.
3, breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
4, pre-pregnancy suffering from breast nodules, nipple dysplasia, adhere to a longer breastfeeding, you can feed the child and can protect the breast.
5, breastfeeding is easy to operate. The increased consumption of breastfeeding can accelerate the reduction of fat accumulated in the body during pregnancy, which is conducive to early recovery of body shape.
6, breast milk is cheap and convenient natural food, breastfeeding is economical and can save money on family feeding.
Breastfeeding is the best way to feed infants, breastfeeding provides the ideal food for healthy growth and development of infants, is an unparalleled method of infant feeding, while constituting the only biological and emotional basis for maternal and infant health. Breastfeeding is a right of women and children, and every child, pregnant and breastfeeding woman has the right to receive adequate nutrition to achieve and maintain good health. Breastfeeding is both an innate and an acquired behavior. There are 99 reasons why breastfeeding has been proposed, and successful breastfeeding requires not only accurate information, but also support from the family, society and the health care system, as well as practical and technical support. If mothers give up breastfeeding, or only partially breastfeed, then there is a legitimate market for infant formula and other baby foods.
Society has a responsibility to promote breastfeeding and to protect pregnant women and mothers from any adverse effects on breastfeeding. There is a need for measures to protect women from misinformation and to make informed choices about infant feeding. Back in 1974 a book published in Switzerland titled “Nestle Killed the Baby” caused an uproar. A mother who can start early, suckle early, nurse on demand, and insist on nighttime nursing will make more and more milk production and fully meet her baby’s needs for up to 6 months and truly breastfeed exclusively. Doctors and nurses strongly recommend it, social families desperately support it, and mothers and babies firmly implement it to promote breastfeeding. From this milk powder incident, we once again feel the importance and difficulty of breastfeeding promotion, assuming that half of these children are breastfed, or even mixed feeding, less milk powder, things may not be so bad as this, right?