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Breast Is Best: Why Protecting Breastfeeding Is Our Shared Responsibility #WBW2021
Last month Cornerstone House Centre highlighted that it had joined the Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Scheme, and now Cumbernauld Community Health Information Hub takes a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding for both child and mother.
This is World Breastfeeding Week 2021 (1-7 August), an annual campaign organised jointly by World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), World Health Organization (WHO) and The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) with a view to encouraging positive and healthy breastfeeding across the world. The initiative is celebrated in more than 120 countries around the world.
Breastfeeding protects the health of children and mothers. Globally, only 41% of the 141 million babies born annually are exclusively breastfed until six months. The campaign to promote breastfeeding is particularly important in the UK, where breastfeeding levels are considered amongst the lowest in the world.
Scotland’s breastfeeding rates have been improving in recent years though, with 43% of babies being breastfed at 6-8 weeks in 2019. Almost two-thirds of Scottish babies born last year were breastfed for at least some time after their birth, with 18% of toddlers still being breastfed at 13-15 months.
Breastfeeding can be a highly emotive subject in this country (and the developed world as a whole) because so many families have not breastfed, with others having experienced the trauma of trying hard to breastfeed and not succeeding.
But when undertaken effectively, breastfeeding undoubtedly yields many health benefits to babies, providing critical nutrients, protection from certain diseases and fostering growth and development.
The theme of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week is ‘Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility’, underlining that everyone in society has a role to play in encouraging, supporting and enabling mothers to breastfeed their child safely.
Nationally and internationally, breastfeeding must be considered a public health issue that requires investment at all levels. The concept of ‘building back better’ after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will provide an opportunity to create a warm chain of support for breastfeeding that includes health systems, workplaces and communities at all levels of society.
Cumbernauld Community Health Information Hub has researched the below information to assist local parents and families with their choices in relation to breastfeeding.
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BREASTFEEDING: KEY INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION FOR CUMBERNAULD FAMILIES
What is Breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding, sometimes known as nursing, is the feeding of babies and young children with milk from a woman’s breast. Changes to the mother’s body in early pregnancy prepare her breasts for lactation, the process where milk is produced and secreted through the nipples.
Women have breastfed their children for thousands of years, but it’s only in modern times that the full health benefits of breastfeeding for both children and mothers have become better understood.
Who Can Breastfeed?
Most mothers should be able to breastfeed their own children safely and with no risk whatsoever. It may be advisable for some mothers not to breastfeed if they have particular health conditions or accentuating circumstances. If parents have any doubts or concerns, it’s wise to speak to a GP or assigned healthcare practitioner for advice before the baby is born.
Equally so, any family considering breastfeeding a child that is not biologically their own should seek relevant medical advice before proceeding, as this can be risky in some instances.
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Breastfeeding?
There are multiple advantages of breastfeeding, notably that a mother’s breast milk is perfectly designed for her baby. Crucially, a mother’s breast milk protects her baby from many infections and diseases, whilst formulated milk does not do this as effectively.
Interestingly, the benefits of breastfeeding are not only for the child. For the mother, breastfeeding burns calories and can help with weight loss after pregnancy. Breastfeeding also releases the hormone oxytocin, which helps the mother’s uterus return to its pre-pregnancy size and reduces post-pregnancy bleeding. Furthermore, breastfeeding reduces the mother’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
With breastfeeding, breast milk is available for the baby whenever they need it. This is highly beneficial as newborn babies feed frequently. The process of breastfeeding can also help build a strong emotional bond between mother and baby.
In most instances, the health advantages of breastfeeding far outweigh any potential disadvantages. It is possible that the mother may feel some discomfort whilst breastfeeding, particularly during the first few feedings.
It can also be common for mothers to feel concerned, anxious or embarrassed about breastfeeding. For most mothers, this can be overcome by receiving the proper advice and support, and through practice.
Breastfeeding is a skill that takes time to get the hang of. Lots of mothers wonder if their baby is feeding well and getting enough milk, especially in the first few days. But once mastered, mothers often find it is the easiest and most satisfying way to feed their baby.
How Long Should a Mother Breastfeed For?
Current guidance recommends that babies should receive breast milk for the first six months of life then, after introduction of solid foods, should continue to breastfeed up to their second birthday or for as long as the mother and baby wish. The decision about how long to breastfeed for is very personal and can depend on a number of factors.
To ensure healthy milk production, it’s important that the mother only gives their baby breast milk in the early days. In the first 24 hours after the birth, babies usually wake and feed often. This can feel like a lot of feeding, but it’s normal and usually settles quickly.
How Should a Mother Breastfeed?
It’s sensible for any mother to research and seek advice about the process and cycle of breastfeeding before their baby is born.
National charity The Breastfeeding Network provides a comprehensive online portal in relation to this, which includes sections on getting started, if breastfeeding hurts, finding support, breastfeeding in public, expressing and storing, milk banking and introducing a bottle. The website also provides useful video links for women thinking about breastfeeding.
Another excellent resource for pregnant women is Baby Buddy, which is a free NHS approved-app created by Best Beginnings. The app incorporates supportive daily information about breastfeeding.
Can Coronavirus Be Transmitted Through Breastfeeding?
Mothers might feel worried about how coronavirus could affect their baby if they are breastfeeding or planning on breastfeeding. While an infected mother could pass COVID-19 to her baby in the same way as any infected person could transmit the virus to another individual, there is currently no evidence to suggest that the virus can be transmitted through breast milk or breastfeeding.
World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) has endorsed several publications and resources in relation to coronavirus and breastfeeding. These can be accessed by clicking here.
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Parents and families considering breastfeeding can obtain key information online from NHS inform’s Breastfeeding Platform and Parent Club Scotland’s Breastfeeding Page.
Independent, confidential and mother-centred advice can also be sought by contacting the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212. The helpline, which is operational from 9.30am-9.30pm every day of the year, is manned by trained volunteer mums who have breastfed.
More information about World Breastfeeding Week 2021 is available on World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA)’s website at www.waba.org.my. To follow and support the campaign locally on social media, use #WBW2021.
