Best for babies: Breastfeeding can save 800,000 lives every year

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Best for babies: Breastfeeding can save 800,000 lives every year

World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth and until a baby is six months old.

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Sandhya D'Mello

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Published: Sun 4 Aug 2019, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Sun 4 Aug 2019, 11:04 AM

If almost every mother in the world breastfeeds their newborns, more than 800,000 lives can be saved every year, with the majority being babies under six months. Around 20,000 maternal deaths due to breast cancer can also be averted annually. 
These facts drive the massive annual World Breastfeeding Week, which is being marked from August 1 to 7 this year. And the UAE's healthcare community joins the rest of the globe in promoting and supporting breastfeeding.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth and until a baby is six months old.
Nutritious complementary foods should then be added while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or beyond.
Dr Meena Sadip Karle, paediatrics specialist, Aster Hospital, Qusais, said: "Breast milk has hormones and the right amount of protein, sugar, fat and most vitamins to help your baby grow and develop. The breast milk changes as the baby grows, so he or she gets exactly what he or she needs at the right time."
On top of it, breastfeeding can reduce a baby's risk for sudden infant death syndrome, the unexplained death of a baby younger than one year old, Dr Karle said.
Diabetes issues
Diabetes specialists have also said a mother's milk is the key to good blood sugar control for a newborn.
Dr Amani Osman, consultant paediatric diabetologist, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, said: "Studies have long touted its benefits for infants, including stronger immunity, improved gastrointestinal function, improved cognitive outcomes, and a lower risk of illnesses like diabetes.
"In fact, breastfeeding is helpful in controlling the blood sugar of both the mother and baby."
A newborn can be prone to low blood glucose levels, known as hypoglycaemia, particularly if the mother's blood glucose control was poor during pregnancy.
An infant's glucose levels are likely to drop after birth - this is where early, frequent breastfeeding comes in.
Breast milk can help stabilise the baby's blood sugar, the doctor said.
The problem is that many diabetic mothers are worried that their medication could affect the milk for the baby, so some are hesitant to breastfeed.
But Dr Osman said their breast milk should be fine.
"Any medication that was fine to take during pregnancy will be fine during nursing. Insulin molecules, for example, are too large to pass into the mother's milk.
However, I also tell them that they should always speak to their doctors first, and determine whether their medication needs to be adjusted," he said.
Good for mums
Many people are not aware that breastfeeding is also good for nursing mums, doctors have said.
"It helps mothers lose weight. It protects women from breast and ovarian cancer," said Dr Anushuya Kasi, consultant obstetrician and urogynaecologist for American Hospital Dubai.
It also has a protective effect for mothers against rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases, among many other illnesses.
Dr Karle added that breastfeeding increases the amount of the oxytocin hormone in the mother's body, helping her uterus go back to its size before the pregnancy.
"Breastfeeding also delays the return of the mother's period. But this can make it hard to know when she can get pregnant again," the doctor said.
2019 campaign
For this World Breastfeeding Week, the WHO is focusing on policies that can support parents in taking care of their babies. Dr Kranti Jadav, specialist gynaecologist at Zulekha Hospital Sharjah, said: "This year, the WHO is working to promote the importance of family-friendly policies to enable breastfeeding and help parents nurture and bond with their children in early life."
This includes enacting paid maternity leave for a minimum of 18 weeks, as well as paid paternity leave to encourage shared responsibility of caring for their children, and advocating for a mother-friendly workplace.
sandhya@khaleejtimes.com


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