However, post birth, nearly a quarter (24%) wished they had read about and were more prepared for
breastfeeding and 1 in 4 (26%) of those who had given breast milk to their first child wished they had known that asking for help can make a real difference.
The theme of this year's World
Breastfeeding Week is "Sustaining
Breastfeeding Together," because all of us -- governments, decision-makers, development partners, professional bodies, academia, media, advocates and other stakeholders -- must work together to strengthen existing partnerships and forge new ways to invest in and support
breastfeeding for a more sustainable future.
Aside from keeping infants full and nourished,
breastfeeding also has unique health benefits.
70 per newborn is required to increase the global rate of exclusive
breastfeeding among children under six months to 50 per cent by 2025.
Recently, the Unicef and the World Health Organization jointly urged the government to 'increase national investments to raise
breastfeeding rates,' underlining the need to increase overall government spending on health and nutrition.
It said promotion of
breastfeeding could save the lives of 820,000 children under the age of five, globally, by achieving enhanced rates of breastfed children,
Amal Abu Bakr Arbab, Lactation Consultant and Lead for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative at Women's Hospital, noted that
breastfeeding is the normal way of providing young infants with the nutrients, antibodies, enzymes, and substances they need for healthy growth and development.
Experts have said that it is extremely important to wipe the baby's gums after
breastfeeding, as breast milk contains high levels of sugar.
Conclusion: Mothers demonstrated good knowledge (more than 50%) on benefits of
breastfeeding, optimal (50%) knowledge in duration of
breastfeeding but deficient (less than 50%) knowledge regarding colostrum and post partum bleeding benefits of
breastfeeding.
The mean duration of exclusive
breastfeeding was 5.
High
breastfeeding initiation rates show that most mothers in the U.
Aeen Sadique programme Assistant UNICEF also highlighted the importance of
breastfeeding and emphasised the implementation of existing
breastfeeding laws across the country.
