Pretoria – As the world gets ready to observe World Breastfeeding Week from August 1 – 7, South Africa’s Health Department has reiterated its recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life.
This, the department says, ensures babies get all the nutrients and antibodies they need to grow and ward off illnesses.
However, previous research done by the Human Science Research Council revealed that 25.7% of children aged 0 - 6 months were reported to be exclusively breastfed, with only 8% until the recommended 6 months, while 22.5% of children aged 0 - 6 months were exclusively formula-fed.
The research also revealed that 51.3% of children 0 - 6 months were mixed fed as well as inappropriate feeding practices such as sub-optimal or no breastfeeding, and inadequate complementary feeding, which is a threat to child survival.
It is against this backdrop that the Health Department, together with development partners, will use this year’s World Breastfeeding Week to conduct community engagements with key target groups, with the aim of identifying factors that have an influence on promoting and supporting breastfeeding as well as exploring ways to overcome them.
This year’s theme is ‘Breastfeeding support, close to mothers’, highlighting the importance of peer counselling and community support for the breastfeeding mother and her infant.
All provinces will during World Breastfeeding Week take part in various provincial activities planned to raise awareness.
The objectives for the week are:
- To highlight the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in reducing child mortality;
- To emphasise the importance of supporting mothers to breastfeed during the early days post-delivery within the health facility, households and in the community;
- To increase public awareness on the benefits of early feeding as well as continued breastfeeding in child survival.
The department noted that even when mothers are able to get off to a good start, all too often in the weeks and certainly a few months after delivery, there is a sharp decline in exclusive breastfeeding rates, and breastfeeding practices.
“Continued support beyond the health care facility is essential to ensure sustained exclusive breastfeeding and this can be provided in a variety of ways. Early and exclusive breastfeeding within at least an hour after delivery also has benefits for the mother.
“Breastfeeding is a time honoured strategy in child survival that medical sciences have proven beyond any doubt,” the department said.
The department recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. No other food or liquids, not even water, is needed during this period. Continued breastfeeding for two years or longer with the introduction of appropriate complementary foods is ideal. – SAnews.gov.za
