Exclusive Breastfeeding is Important for Infant

Exclusive Breastfeeding is Important for Infant

Hello Friends,

I am writing my first blog on exclusive breastfeeding as September 2018 is declared as the month for National Nutrition. Infants are the future of our Country and they are the ones who will become an essential part of our development. Hence taking utmost care of their nutrition is very important.

The first 1000 days is an important phase for nutrition point of view. This period is started from the pregnancy itself and covers the first 24 months of the infant’s life. This period is thus considered as the narrow age window that covers nutrition care for a pregnant woman followed by breastfeeding and later introduction of complementary feeding along with sustained breastfeeding and then complete weaning from breastfeeding.

Global Recommendation

World Health Organization is the specialized agency which is concerned for the international public health issues. The guidelines for breastfeeding and complementary feeding are given by World Health Organizations are:

1. Exclusive breastfeeding should be done for complete 6 months and then introduce complementary foods
2. Continue breastfeeding until the infant turns two years of age.
3. Practice responsive feeding, which means you should assist older children while feeding, never force feed to the infant, always encourage the infant to eat and most important feed patiently.
4. The complementary foods should be prepared safely and stored properly. Also, follow personal hygiene during the preparation of these foods.
5. The amount of complementary food fed to the infant should be according to the age of the infant and avoid over-feeding.
6. The consistency of the food fed should be appropriate and never over dilute the food given.
7. Feed the infant frequently but as per the age and try to include energy-dense foods to achieve the required nutrition.
8. You can use multivitamin supplements or fortified products for the infant as well as the lactating
9. Continue breastfeeding during and after illness too.

Breastfeeding

After birth, within half an hour only the mother should initiate breastfeeding. The benefits of initiating breastfeeding early are:

• The first half an hour to one hour after birth, the infants are most active infants are most active.
• The suckling reflex is also most active at birth.
• The intake of colostrum is essential, the first milk secreted by the breast.
• The bonding between mother and child is emotionally developed.
• Breast engorgement is prevented.
• Postpartum bleeding is also prevented.

However, in India National Family Health Survey (2006) reported that only one-fourth infant was breastfed within an hour of birth and nearly half of the mothers did not initiate breastfeeding within one day of birth.

Breastmilk also knew as human milk is an ideal food for the infant during the first six months of life. The reason being it ensures proper growth and development. Human milk has a high content of immunoglobulins, T-lymphocytes, lysozymes and phagocytes enzymes that protect the infants from infections.

There are three phases of breastmilk:

• Colostrum,
• Transitional milk, and
• Mature milk.

Colostrum feeding is important to feed the infants within the first few hours of the birth. Colostrum is thick and yellow in color. The advantages of feeding colostrum are:

• It has high beta-carotene content and hence yellow in color.
• It contains anti-infective substances to protect infants from infection.
• It helps in building up the nutrient stores and antibodies in the infant’s body as it is rich in immunoglobulins.

In India, there is a superstition and taboo followed with respect to colostrum. Some of the reasons reported in various studies regarding discarding of colostrum include: mothers and elder women in the family considers colostrum as dirty and indigestible, lack of knowledge about the importance of colostrum, some mothers dislike the color of colostrum, lack of family support, discouragement of early initiation of breastfeeding, cesarean delivery and feeding of pre-lacteal feeds.

Transitional milk describes the period known as post-colostral period i.e. from 7 to 21 days postpartum (after birth). During this period there are little changes in the composition of breastmilk. The transitional milk has high levels of water-soluble vitamins, fat, lactose, and more calories compared to colostrum but it has lower levels of immunoglobulins.

Mature milk describes the period after 21 days postpartum. Mature milk looks thinner and paler compared to the colostrum. It is more watery milk, consisting about 90% water required to maintain hydration of the infant and 10% consists of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that are required for normal growth and to meet energy requirements of an infant.

Exclusive Breastfeeding

Exclusive breastfeeding means that babies are given only breastmilk and nothing else that is no other milk, food, drinks and not even water, especially for the first six months. Breastmilk alone is adequate for the first six months to meet the hydration requirements of infants even under the extremely hot and dry summer conditions prevailing in the country. On-demand feeding schedule should be followed during the day as well as night time. Mothers should not use bottles, teats or pacifiers. Exclusive breastfeeding reduces the infant mortality. It also lowers the risk for many common illnesses prevailing among infants like diarrhea, gastrointestinal infections, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection.

Mothers also benefit while exclusively breastfeeding the infant. Mothers who exclusively breastfed their infant return to their pre-pregnancy weight and also reduces the risk of developing type II diabetes. The mother should breastfeed the infant even during the infant’s illness and after the illness. Studies have reported that babies who are not exclusively breastfed are more likely to die from pneumonia compared to those babies who are exclusively breastfed.

Thus, exclusive breastfeeding is very much essential for the first six months of an infant’s life, benefitting both lactating mother and the child. We need to counsel mothers, caregivers about benefit and importance of exclusive breastfeeding in order to encourage them to exclusively breastfed their children. Governments, family members, and community health workers have an important role to play in the survival of newborns.

Stay Fit, Happy, and Healthy!!!

References

1. IIPS and UNICEF (2013) Comprehensive Nutrition Survey in Maharashtra (CNSM) Report. International Institute for Population Sciences and United Nations Children’s Fund, 2012: Mumbai, IIPS.
2. NFHS (2006). National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), National Fact Sheet, India. International Institute for Population Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai.
3. NGIYCF (2006) National Guidelines on Infant and Young Child Feeding. Ministry of Women and Child Development (Food and Nutrition Board). Government of India.
4. UNICEF (2011) The State of the World’s Children: 2011. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). New York, USA.
5. WHO (2000) Complementary Feeding: Family Foods for Breastfed Children. Department of Nutrition for Health and Development. World Health Organization, France.
6. WHO (2001) Guiding principles for complementary feeding of the breastfed child. Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC.
7. WHO (2002) Complementary feeding: Report of the global consultation, and summary of guiding principles for complementary feeding of the breastfed child. Geneva, 10 – 13 December 2001. World Health Organization. Geneva.

 

 

from lactation « WordPress.com Tag Feed https://ift.tt/2NWvU1v
article sponsered by Northern Michigan certified lactation consulting and Mother Hubbards Country Cupboard