Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week

1 to 7 August marks World Breastfeeding Week, a time to bring awareness about the importance of breastfeeding. The benefits of breastfeeding are endless, breastfeeding supports the healthy development of babies and plays an important role in the prevention of most forms of childhood malnutrition. Breastmilk also contains antibodies that help protect against many childhood illnesses.

Breastfeeding is the recommended, ideal, natural and sustainable food for the healthy growth and development of infants and young children. The recommendation for infants 0 – six months is exclusive breastfeeding (feeding breastmilk only). But not all mothers have the privilege to do this.

From being shamed to breastfeed in public to most corporations not having designated places for mothers to pump breastmilk, there are a lot of factors that plays a role in discouraging and or even persuaded to give up on breastfeeding their babies.

To honour this years’ theme Protecting Breastfeeding is a Shared Responsibility, we look at how protecting breastfeeding needs to be a “whole of society” effort, instead of only mothers and healthcare workers, to ensure that we have work and social environments that are breastfeeding-friendly.” 

Professor Lisanne du Plessis, ADSA, (The Association for Dietetics in South Africa) Spokesperson, Registered Dietitian, and Nutritionist, shares a few tips to help us understand how everyone can help play a role in breastfeeding:

Partners can help mothers with the domestic workload as well as the caring of the baby. Getting hands-on with baby bathing, burping, talking, singing, and playing is a great support. Doing grocery shopping, helping with food preparation, and cleaning of the house creates a supportive environment. Raising children was never supposed to be a one-woman job and partners have a major impact on creating a home environment conducive to breastfeeding for optimum mom and baby health.

Family and friends should be cheerleaders for breastfeeding. It makes such a difference to encourage mothers on their journey to provide their babies with the best nutrition.  Be aware of supporting breastfeeding moms anytime and anywhere.  Even if you didn’t have a positive breastfeeding experience with your baby, make sure you fully encourage the new moms in your social circle.

Workplace support can make a real difference when it comes to maintaining breastfeeding after the end of maternity leave.  Breastfeeding moms who have returned to work are entitled to two 30-minute breaks to express breastmilk. A private room and refrigeration facilities for safely storing their breastmilk can provide further support.

SA society needs to be aware of attitudes that discourage breastfeeding and even shame breastfeeding mothers.  Breastfeeding is perfectly natural and should be normalized and championed across SA communities.  

It is important to remember that breastmilk is the optimum food for our babies.  Nothing compares, it is priceless.  Let’s support and encourage moms in those critical hours after birth, continue the support for the first six months of the baby’s life and also over the longer term as they strive to do their best for their children.