The Tribune

By BIANCA CARTER

This month’s special area of focus for Rotary is maternal and child health. Rotary is an organisation dedicated to helping people around the world and within their own local communities: “1.2 million neighbours, friends, and community leaders who come together to create positive, lasting change in our communities and around the world.”

The Rotary Club of East Nassau in the Bahamas invited me to be their guest speaker to address the importance of supporting maternal and child health in our community. Although a very broad topic, I decided to have an open discussion with them about breastfeeding. Many people have misconceptions about the importance and long-term benefits about breastfeeding, all of which directly impact both maternal and child health.

For some reason, the impact and importance of breastfeeding has been a topic not addressed openly and frequently enough. In fact, talking about breastfeeding makes some people feel uncomfortable. In truth, most people know and think breastfeeding is important because that’s what they are told and what they hear. People may even acknowledge that it’s the best nutrition for babies, but most people don’t know why it’s so important, and why it’s the best thing for your developing child and also for the mother.

Ultimately, breastfeeding is a choice, and this is not a discussion to guilt anyone into breastfeeding or to make anyone feel any less for choosing not to breastfeed. This is a dialogue to fill in the gaps and to answer some of the whys and hows of breastfeeding.

Here are a few things that people should know about the whys and the hows of breastfeeding, and what makes it so significant in maternal and child health:

• Breastfeeding can reduce SIDs by 50 per cent

• It reduces the chance of infants developing ear infections (otitis media)

• Can reduce the chance of developing childhood cancers such as leukaemia

• Can reduce the risk of developing type 1 and type 2 diabetes in the child and type 2 in the mother

• Breast milk changes its composition every day to meet the needs and requirements of the infant

• Breast milk is increased by breastfeeding your baby more; the more you breastfeed, the more milk you’ll make

• Breastfeeding can reduce the risk of obesity by 21 per cent in children and into adulthood.

• Reduces the risk of developing breast cancer (non-genetic form) and cervical cancer in mothers

• Breastfeeding protects your baby from getting sick by allowing the mothers body to make, and then pass anti-bodies that fight off bacteria and viruses on to the baby.

• Breast milk is the perfect composition for human babies

• Breastfeeding promotes bonding between the mother and baby

• Breast milk provides a protective coating in the gastrointestinal tract of infants that acts like a barrier of protection against bacteria

• Breastfeeding protects infants from diarrhoea which is one of the leading causes of infant death in parts of the world

There are many benefits to breastfeeding for both mother and child, but also huge benefits to the overall health of a population. Support is probably one of the most important factors of continuing breastfeeding after birth. Support not only from family and peers, but also support from society, and government protection acts are crucial for safeguarding breastfeeding practices in society. We need to continue these open dialogues with people in the hopes of normalising breastfeeding more around the world. No mother should have to feel ashamed or embarrassed about choosing the best nutrition for her baby. If you know a new mother or a women about to give birth, let her know you support her. Breastfeeding is natural but not always easy. The good news is that there is help available.

Do you have questions about breastfeeding? Write us at info@babybunintheoven.com.

Love and hugs.

• Bianca Carter is a certified lactation counsellor and founder of Bun in the Oven. For more information, e-mail her at info@babybunintheoven.com. Follow BITO on Facebook at babybunintheoven and check out the BITO Blog every Monday and Thursday at http://babybunintheoven.com.