EDUCATED women have the highest rate of mothers who are avoiding breastfeeding as they are worried about their ability to nurse their babies due to work related commitments, World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.
This week Zimbabwe joins more than 170 countries in the world to commemorate the annual World Breastfeeding Week celebrated from August 1 to 7 annually to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.
The 2014 celebrations are being held under the theme ‘Breastfeeding a winning goal for life’.
In an interview, WHO resident representative in Zimbabwe Dr David Okello said in most communities around the world, educated women were using supplements to feed their babies soon after giving birth. He said the so-called ‘enlightened’ women were manipulating the less or non-educated women to use supplementary foods before the recommended age.
“Exclusive breastfeeding rate vary a lot, but unfortunately, the more educated women turn to run away from breastfeeding, the best feed to the child,” he said.
“We are worried that the more enlightened women are discouraging the less enlightened women from breastfeeding.”
Dr Okello said there was need for all mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies as it is the best way to provide infants with the required nutrients.
“WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth until a baby is six months old,” he said.
“As WHO we do not recommend artificial feeding during the first six months.
“After the first six months, nutritious complementary foods can then be added while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or beyond.”
According to WHO, one of the factors that hinders women from breastfeeding for two years or more is the influence of social behaviours that discourage breastfeeding in public.
Dr Okello said during World Breastfeeding Week, WHO would conduct awareness on the importance for a woman to be able to breastfeed whenever the child is hungry or needs comfort, regardless of the time and place.
“We must redouble efforts to ensure that breastfeeding is once again recognised and valued as the ideal, healthy, natural, and nutritious way to feed a young child,” he said.
“Breastfeeding reduces a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, hypertension, and type-two diabetes, a situation that can contribute to improved maternal health,” said Okello.
“It also reduces the risk of a child becoming ill or dying, particularly in the first month and year of life and infant’s risk of becoming overweight is also reduced.”
According to health experts, in most cases, the best way for mothers to generate more milk and get an adequate number of calories and nutrients is to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. The diet could include fruits, vegetables, protein, grains, and a limited amount of fat, sometimes with a multivitamin supplement.
According to an official from the Ministry of Health and Child Care who refused to be named, Zimbabwe had lined up a number of activities aimed at educating people on the importance of breastfeeding.
“We have discovered that most women in the country lack social support from male counterparts who do not support them and value the importance of breastfeeding,” said the official.
“Apart from the main commemorations, we are going to have a three-day campaign in the streets of Harare from August 21 to 23. Last year the Government said about 100 children under the age of five were dying daily in the country while 15 000 of them are also at risk of dying from malnutrition because of a decline in exclusive breastfeeding.