Breastfeeding enhances mother and infant wellbeing
MELVILLE – South African Breastmilk Reserve (SABR) hosts a two-day workshop on 18 and 19 November at Melville Junction Church.
MELVILLE – In an effort to educate individuals on the topic of enhancing mother and infant wellbeing, the South African Breastmilk Reserve (SABR) is hosting a two-day workshop on 18 and 19 November at Melville Junction Church.
The community will have an opportunity to hear more about the steps to ultimately increase infant survival and improve early childhood development and breastfeeding.
The workshop will address the individuals about feeding and caring for babies.
“We are trying to encourage and educate mothers about the importance of breastfeeding,” informed breastfeeding activist and executive director at the SABR, Stasha Jordan.
Non-breastfed children are 14 times more likely to die in the first six months than exclusively breastfed infants, she said.
Jordan added that the 20-hour workshop also aims to significantly scale-up efforts to improve infant-feeding practices in South Africa.
“We lose an estimated 20 000 babies under 1.8kg and 70 000 babies under 5kg every year – mostly because breastfeeding rates in this country are dangerously low with only 7,2 per cent of South African women breastfeeding,” she informed.
She said being a mother and a concerned citizen, she hopes the workshop will help mothers bond with their children through breastfeeding. “In raising awareness we will be able to prevent a lot of unnecessary deaths in the country.
“The goal is to reduce infant mortality and premature deaths,” she said.
SABR advises healthcare professionals, community leaders and new or expecting parents to unite on the topic.
