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By Perry Gil S. Mallari
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Photo from
AFP |
There can be no better icon of motherly
affection than the act of breastfeeding. Since time immemorial,
breastfeeding has connoted the pure and unadulterated love of a
mother to her child. Sadly, this loving and healthy practice has
entered an unabated decline in the last few decades.
“The greater number of women today entering
into the workforce has contributed greatly to this phenomenon. Even
if a woman wants to continue feeding her child with breast milk,
most working environment now won’t allow her to do so,” says Dr.
Soe Nyunt-U, the incumbent country representative of the World
Health Organization (WHO) in the Philippines. In an exclusive
interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, Soe shares his thoughts on
the issue of breastfeeding and the hurdles involved in promoting
this life-saving practice in the country and around the world.
He notes that work should not prevent mothers
from giving their babies breast milk, which was overwhelmingly
proven by science to be superior to infant formulas. “Offices
should provide a conducive environment for a woman to express and
store her milk so that her child will have a continuous supply of
breast milk,” Soe declares.
Many nursing mothers today feel they cannot
produce ample quantities of milk. Soe stresses that this not the
case if the woman learns the proper procedure from the moment her
child was born. “This is the reason why we’re working so hard
with the Department of Health (DOH) to establish mother and
baby-friendly hospitals,” he explains, adding, “Some hospitals
do not implement all the necessary steps in proper breastfeeding
during the first moments of life and this creates problems.”
Soe also admits that the aggressive advertising
campaign of infant formulas has a lot to do with the decline of the
practice of breastfeeding. Commenting on the influx of commercials
of the said product on all tri-media, he says, “Mothers tend to
believe that they are viable alternative for breast milk.”
Best for baby
Elaborating on the health benefits of breast
milk, Soe narrates, “Breast milk is so good that a mother do not
have to feed the baby anything else but it for the first six months
of life.” He adds that the colostrum or the “first milk” of
the mother contains immunoglobulins that protect the baby from
infection. Soe also discussed another interesting point and that is
the effect of breastmilk on intellectual development.
“Breastfeeding results in smarter children. It does increase IQ
points, something that infant formulas cannot accomplish,” he
intones.
Extensive research has proven that milk is
species-specific. Pigs and elephants for example, need a thick layer
of fat on their bodies so the milk produced by these species were
also high in fat to achieve the said purpose. Humans are the slowest
growing and maturing mammals but has the most advanced brain. For
this reason, human milk is low in protein and high in carbohydrates
to ensure proper neural development. Optimum brain development is
best achieved with mother’s milk.
Sterility is another important factor to
consider why formulas can never match the quality of breast milk.
Since it is hard to ensure the cleanliness of the water, powdered
milk and containers used in preparing infant formulas, pathogens can
enter a baby’s system through bottle-feeding. This is the leading
cause of why diarrhea kills so many infants. Soe emphasizes that
breastfeeding saves mothers from the daily tacky task of cleaning
feeding bottles and formula containers. “With breastfeeding, all a
woman has to do is follow proper hygiene to ensure that her nipples
are clean and that’s it. Another good part of it is she doesn’t
have to spend a single centavo to feed her child,” he explains.
Best for mommy
Mothers opting to breastfeed have other
dividends coming their way. Soe says that the act is natural way to
prevent pregnancy and certain forms of cancer and also a good way to
lose weight. Research shows that exclusive breastfeeding prolongs
the return of fertility as it delays the return of ovulation and
menstruation. The protracted arrest of ovulatory cycles appears to
be linked to certain health benefits as well. Mothers that
breastfeed for at least six months throughout their lifetime have a
decreased risk of breast, ovarian and uterine cancers. Mothers who
want to shed off extra weights will find breastfeeding an excellent
sedentary exercise too. Studies have shown that breastfeeding
elicits weight loss. Milk production burns 200 to 500 calories a
day.
There are rare instances where mothers should
refrain from breastfeeding. “The only time that women were advised
not to breastfeed is when they are TB or HIV positive,” he
comments, continuing, “But even in those conditions there were
still exceptions depending on the severity of the case involved.”
Preventable woes
Soe discloses that in the Philippines alone,
82,000 children under the age of 5 died last year due to
inappropriate feeding practices. What’s more hurtful about this
tragedy is it is preventable. He says that 16,000 infants deaths
annually could be prevented if only new mothers would initiate
exclusive breastfeeding in the first hour of the baby’s life; feed
the baby solely by breastfeeding for the first six months; and to
continue breastfeeding the child with appropriate complementary
feeding until at least two years.
Breastfeeding could save families from burden of
buying infant formulas, health care costs, lost wages resulting from
attending sick children, not to mention funeral expenses.
He announces that the WHO in coordination with
the DOH is working hard to promote breastfeeding. “We are trying
our best to encompass in our breastfeeding campaign the family, the
community, the hospitals and health professionals as well as the
working environment,” he declares. Soe reveals that they have
conducted dialogues with the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines
and other labor organization in an effort to provide a conducive
environment for breastfeeding mothers in the workplace. He also adds
that they are now actively involving health workers in the endeavor,
admitting that in the past, some members of this group were utilized
by milk companies to promote infant formula products.
Soe also revels on the recent decision of the
Supreme Court that overwhelmingly upholds the Implementing Rules and
Regulations issued by the DOH in July 2006 that restrict most
marketing practices for infant formulas.
A message to mothers
Taking the opportunity to greet all mothers this
Mothers’ Day, Soe says that in his country Myanmar, the mother is
the most important figure in the family. “This is a good day for
us remember and honor our mothers,” he admonishes.
Soe offers a sublime advice to Filipino mothers,
“Your breast milk is one of the greatest gift you can give to your
child,” he stresses. And emphasizing the health benefits of
breastfeeding, Soe adds, “If you revive and adhere to the practice
of breastfeeding, I am certain that you would have a stronger nation
than what you have today.”
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