World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is celebrated every year from August 1 to 7 in more than 120 countries to encourage breastfeeding and to improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration made by WHO (World Health Organization) and UNICEF policy-makers in August 1990 to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. This year's theme is "Breastfeeding, just 10 steps – The baby-friendly way!"
The St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) supports and promotes breastfeeding. On a yearly basis, the OBGYN/Paediatric wards set out to inform, promote and encourage mothers and families to breastfeed. In the care for pregnant women and mothers, they provide information about the benefits and management of breastfeeding. It is their goal that the mother is given the opportunity to breastfeed her infant within a half hour to one hour of delivery, because breastfeeding is one way of ensuring that your baby stays healthy; giving it a good start in this life. Breastfeeding is a baby's basic right and a human right; we should protect this. However, the choice to breastfeed belongs to the mother.
Some benefits of breastfeeding:
· Breast milk is sterile and is always readily available for your baby.
· Breast milk is much easier for your baby to digest in comparison to infant formula.
· Breastfeeding helps you bond with your baby with the physical contact during nursing. This can help your infant feel more secure and comforted.
· Breastfeeding mothers tend to have an earlier return to their pre-pregnant weight.
· Breast milk is cheaper. Taking into consideration the increase in the cost-of-living, breastfeeding will save you money as it costs less to breastfeed.
10 steps to successful breastfeeding
The 10 steps to successful breastfeeding are evidence-based best practice standards developed by UNICEF and the World Health Organization. The steps are designed to enable improved practice in maternity units in order to promote, protect and support breastfeeding. Every facility providing maternity services and care for newborn infants should:
Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff. Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within half an hour of birth. Show mothers how to breastfeed, and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants. Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated. Practice rooming-in i.e. allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day. Encourage breastfeeding on demand. Give no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.
World Breastfeeding Week competition
The St. Maarten Medical Center's OB/GYN and Paediatric ward has organized several activities to show our support of breastfeeding. Mothers with infants 0 – 12 months old can submit an article and breastfeeding photograph. Submitted articles should share both the joys and challenges in breastfeeding.
Persons can choose to submit photo with article or simply one of each. Prizes will be given out to the winners. Contestants can submit their article and/or photo from August 1 to 25. All entries must be deposited at the service desk of St. Maarten Medical Center. All participants must complete a contest entry form also available at the Service Desk. The winning articles and pictures will be announced on Wednesday, September 8.
