Benefits of exclusive breastfeeding
IT is peak season for newborn babies, and breastfeeding, though still popular, has lost its essence and many mothers do it only for a limited number of months.
However, exclusive breastfeeding — which is an infant’s consumption of breast milk without supplementation of any other food or liquids including water for the first six months — is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as it reduces infant mortality due to common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea or pneumonia, and helps with quicker recovery from illness.
WHO also recommends that after six months the child should receive supplemented breastfeeding for at least one year and up to two years and beyond.
However, while it is difficult to get mothers to adhere to the six months of exclusive breastfeeding, it is important that they realise its benefits, such as brain development and the reduction of infant mortality.
Locally, information regarding breastfeeding can be found at community health care centres, clinics and hospitals or your private doctors.
For women who have difficulty breastfeeding, such as those with inverted nipples, there are ways to overcome it and your doctors will be happy to instruct you on how to get the nipple to point outwards. For those who can’t breastfeed because of medical reasons, your healthcare provider will advise you on the best method to feed your newborn.
