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Tribune News Network Doha
TO observe the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) 2020, and in compliance with infection control measures to check the spread of COVID-19, the Women’s Wellness and Research Center (WWRC) is holding breastfeeding virtual training and telephone consultations for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers from August 11 to 13.
The activities being organised by the WWRC’s Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) team led by Dr Amal Abu Bakr Arbab and supported by Dr Mai Al Qubaisi, senior consultant as well as director of NICU and chairperson of BFHI programme, aim at raising awareness of importance of breastfeeding for babies and mothers.
Over the three-day event, the team including lactation consultants, breastfeeding resource nurses as well as patient family educators will be available to virtually attend to queries relating to breastfeeding from pregnant women and mothers. They will also teach in-patient mothers the skill that will support them to exclusively breastfeed for six months.
As the global community observes the yearly World Breastfeeding Week 2020 under the theme ‘Support Breastfeeding for a Healthier Planet’, Dr Arbab says the objective of this year’s WBW is not only to inform people about the links between breastfeeding and the environment, but also to galvanise action on improving the health of the planet and people through breastfeeding.
“Breastfeeding is the best way of providing newborns and young infants with the nutrients, antibodies, enzymes and substances they need for healthy growth and development. Breast milk is a natural renewable food that is environmentally safe and friendly because it is produced and delivered to the consumer without pollution, packaging or waste, according to World Alliance for Breastfeeding Awareness”, Dr Arbab states. She stresses that because breast milk is portable and readily available to infants, virtually all mothers can breastfeed at any time and according to the needs and demands of their babies.
Highlighting the importance of WBW, Dr Qubaisi reinforces the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) that babies should be fed only their mothers’ milk right from birth up to their first six months of life and to continue to breastfeed for two years and beyond, in addition to consuming nutritionally adequate and safe complimentary (solid) foods.
“Breastfeeding is the best start for both mother and baby. It provides joyful moments of interaction and bonding between mother and baby that enriches their life together. Breast milk is the natural first food for babies. It is all the food and drink that a baby needs in an adequate quantity and quality for the first six months of life”, Dr Qubaisi states.
She explains that breastfeeding has several health, economic and social benefits for babies, mothers, families and the communities. “Breastfeeding benefits the environment as it is eco-friendly and it saves babies and mothers’ lives as it includes antibodies, enzymes, hormones and substances for healthy growth and development. Scientific evidence proved that globally, exclusive breastfeeding for six months could prevent 1.3 million infant deaths and optimal breastfeeding can reduce more than 800,000 child and 20,000 maternal deaths each year”, Dr Qubaisi notes.
She explains further that many studies have shown that breastfed infants do better on intelligence and behaviour tests into adulthood than formula-fed babies. “Breastfed babies are less prone than babies fed formula milk to common childhood diseases, particularly acute infections such as acute gastroenteritis, upper respiratory system infections, ear infections and more such as necrotising entero-colitis in premature babies. It also lowers the risk of chronic conditions later in life, such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, childhood asthma and childhood leukemia and others”, says Dr Qubaisi.
“Not only does breastfeeding benefit babies, it can also benefit mothers’ health too. Breastfeeding helps reduce the risk of bleeding immediately after birth, anaemia, type 2 diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer, post-partum anxiety and depression, bone decaying for menopausal women. In addition, breastfeeding has been proven to be a natural method of child spacing”, she states.
According to her, to achieve the goal of helping mothers to breastfeed exclusively, global maternity hospitals are required to implement the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) launched in 1991. In 2012, WWRC championed Hamad Medical Corporation’s BFHI with the objective to strengthen maternity practices that will promote and support mother to exclusively breastfeed during hospital stay.
WWRC’s hospital policy makers, managers, staff are committed to adopt and support the BFHI. WWRC’s maternity and neonatal doctors and nurses are trained to implement BFHI and provide the best breastfeeding clinical practices. This includes empowering mothers with the needed knowledge and skill that will enable them to breastfeed exclusively for six months.
TO observe the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) 2020, and in compliance with infection control measures to check the spread of COVID-19, the Women’s Wellness and Research Center (WWRC) is holding breastfeeding virtual training and telephone consultations for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers from August 11 to 13.
The activities being organised by the WWRC’s Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) team led by Dr Amal Abu Bakr Arbab and supported by Dr Mai Al Qubaisi, senior consultant as well as director of NICU and chairperson of BFHI programme, aim at raising awareness of importance of breastfeeding for babies and mothers.
Over the three-day event, the team including lactation consultants, breastfeeding resource nurses as well as patient family educators will be available to virtually attend to queries relating to breastfeeding from pregnant women and mothers. They will also teach in-patient mothers the skill that will support them to exclusively breastfeed for six months.
As the global community observes the yearly World Breastfeeding Week 2020 under the theme ‘Support Breastfeeding for a Healthier Planet’, Dr Arbab says the objective of this year’s WBW is not only to inform people about the links between breastfeeding and the environment, but also to galvanise action on improving the health of the planet and people through breastfeeding.
“Breastfeeding is the best way of providing newborns and young infants with the nutrients, antibodies, enzymes and substances they need for healthy growth and development. Breast milk is a natural renewable food that is environmentally safe and friendly because it is produced and delivered to the consumer without pollution, packaging or waste, according to World Alliance for Breastfeeding Awareness”, Dr Arbab states. She stresses that because breast milk is portable and readily available to infants, virtually all mothers can breastfeed at any time and according to the needs and demands of their babies.
Highlighting the importance of WBW, Dr Qubaisi reinforces the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) that babies should be fed only their mothers’ milk right from birth up to their first six months of life and to continue to breastfeed for two years and beyond, in addition to consuming nutritionally adequate and safe complimentary (solid) foods.
“Breastfeeding is the best start for both mother and baby. It provides joyful moments of interaction and bonding between mother and baby that enriches their life together. Breast milk is the natural first food for babies. It is all the food and drink that a baby needs in an adequate quantity and quality for the first six months of life”, Dr Qubaisi states.
She explains that breastfeeding has several health, economic and social benefits for babies, mothers, families and the communities. “Breastfeeding benefits the environment as it is eco-friendly and it saves babies and mothers’ lives as it includes antibodies, enzymes, hormones and substances for healthy growth and development. Scientific evidence proved that globally, exclusive breastfeeding for six months could prevent 1.3 million infant deaths and optimal breastfeeding can reduce more than 800,000 child and 20,000 maternal deaths each year”, Dr Qubaisi notes.
She explains further that many studies have shown that breastfed infants do better on intelligence and behaviour tests into adulthood than formula-fed babies. “Breastfed babies are less prone than babies fed formula milk to common childhood diseases, particularly acute infections such as acute gastroenteritis, upper respiratory system infections, ear infections and more such as necrotising entero-colitis in premature babies. It also lowers the risk of chronic conditions later in life, such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, childhood asthma and childhood leukemia and others”, says Dr Qubaisi.
“Not only does breastfeeding benefit babies, it can also benefit mothers’ health too. Breastfeeding helps reduce the risk of bleeding immediately after birth, anaemia, type 2 diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer, post-partum anxiety and depression, bone decaying for menopausal women. In addition, breastfeeding has been proven to be a natural method of child spacing”, she states.
According to her, to achieve the goal of helping mothers to breastfeed exclusively, global maternity hospitals are required to implement the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) launched in 1991. In 2012, WWRC championed Hamad Medical Corporation’s BFHI with the objective to strengthen maternity practices that will promote and support mother to exclusively breastfeed during hospital stay.
WWRC’s hospital policy makers, managers, staff are committed to adopt and support the BFHI. WWRC’s maternity and neonatal doctors and nurses are trained to implement BFHI and provide the best breastfeeding clinical practices. This includes empowering mothers with the needed knowledge and skill that will enable them to breastfeed exclusively for six months.
