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Infant, maternal health supported through World Breastfeeding Week
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Between August 1 and 7, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, or WABA, will be highlighting ways in which breastfeeding can be endorsed and sustained throughout the world.
The WABA is partnering with various organizations, including UNICEF, WHO, the International Lactation Consultant Association and others, to promote this year’s theme — “Empower Parents. Enable Breastfeeding.”
WHO has stated that breastfeeding not only improves the health of infants but also has many benefits for mothers. Previous research has linked breastfeeding with a reduced risk for breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
The organization suggested that more than 800,000 lives, including those of children aged younger than 6 months, could be saved every year with near-universal breastfeeding.
To mark World Breastfeeding Week, Infectious Diseases in Children compiled a list of the most up-to-date research highlighting the benefits of breastfeeding and how to improve breastfeeding rates.
Waiting to bathe newborns improves exclusive breastfeeding rates
Exclusive breastfeeding in hospitals improved following the introduction of a protocol that delayed newborn baths for 12 or more hours after birth, according to research published in the Journal for Obstetrics, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing. Read More
Case series raises important questions about breastfeeding among women with HIV
Two case reports from Canada recently demonstrated how treatment can prevent HIV transmission from mother to child while breastfeeding, allowing mothers the option to choose how their infants are fed in a resource-rich setting. Read More
Breastfeeding lowers childhood eczema risk
Mothers who exclusively breastfed for longer than 3 months significantly lowered their child’s risk of eczema, according to findings presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Meeting. Read More
WHO, UNICEF: 78 million newborns not breastfed within first hour after birth
A report issued by WHO and UNICEF revealed that approximately three in five newborns around the world waited more than 1 hour before being breastfed in 2017. Authors noted that although improvements have been made in the number of infants breasted in low- and middle-income countries — 37% in 2005 vs. 42% in 2017 — there is significant room for improvement. Read More
AAP: Support breastfeeding as 'public health imperative,' not lifestyle choice
To avoid creating barriers for breastfeeding mothers and families or overly promoting infant formula, the AAP’s Section on Breastfeeding has released a series of recommendations to improve breastfeeding rates in the pediatric offices as well as meet or surpass the goals set in place by the AAP and Healthy People 2020. Read More
References:
International Lactation Consultant Association. World Breastfeeding Week. https://www.ilca.org/global-health/world-breastfeeding-week. Accessed July 29, 2019.
WHO. World Breastfeeding Week 2019. https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2019/08/01/default-calendar/world-breastfeeding-week-2019. Accessed July 29, 2019.