World Breastfeeding Week encourages women to end the stigma
Despite increased awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding mother’s face a number of challenges to uphold their right to breastfeed their babies especially in public.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure a child’s health and survival.
In support of this sentiment, Nestlé is commemorating World Breastfeeding Week by setting up a Breastfeeding Station at Baragwanath Taxi Rank in Soweto for the month of August.
“The 2018 World Breastfeeding Week theme of ‘Breastfeeding: Foundation of Life’, outlines the need to raise awareness and education around the benefits of breastfeeding for both the child and the mother. There are still certain stigmas in society about the open discussion of breastfeeding and even more so about breastfeeding in public,” Anne-Marie De Beer, Medical and Scientific Affairs Manager at Nestlé South Africa, said.
Despite increased awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, mothers face a number of challenges to exercise their right to breastfeed their babies, especially in public.
Five benefits of breastfeeding:
1. Breast milk can help babies to achieve optimal growth, development, and health.
2. Breast milk contains antibodies that help to protect children against common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, which are the two primary causes of child mortality worldwide.
3. Breastfeeding is also beneficial for mothers as it protects against pregnancy and functions as a birth control method that is 98 per cent effective for the first six months after giving birth. In addition, it reduces the risks of breast and ovarian cancer, Type II diabetes and postpartum depression.
4. Breastfeeding provides long-term benefits as adolescents and adults who were breastfed as babies perform better on intelligence tests. They are also less likely to develop Type II diabetes or to be overweight or obese.
“The pressure on new mothers to balance the demands of parenting and work is substantial and Nestlé encourages the collective support of mothers who choose to breastfeed and encourages them to do so for the first 1 000 days of the child’s life. ”
“At Nestlé, all sites that have over 50 mothers have a dedicated breast milk expressing room and the offices in Bryanston also have a crèche,” Anne-Marie said.
Source: Riverbed Agency
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