Breastfeeding can, if well utilised, save lives of children. However, as KELLY NAPOLO writes, this otherwise lifesaving activity is sometimes underrated.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa’s take on breastfeeding is simple but enlightening: If mothers take heed of medical advice, breastfeeding improves the nutritional status and survival of young children, especially in low-income and middle-income countries such as Malawi.
It says this is because, due to steep declines in household incomes, breastmilk is the most accessible and safest source of nutrition available to those that are taking the first steps in life.
“Evidence shows us that optimal breastfeeding is vital to the lifelong good health and wellbeing of women and children.
“Globally, scaling up breastfeeding could prevent 2,000 maternal deaths, 823,000 child deaths and $302 billion (about K500 trillion) in economic losses every year,” WHO says.
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No wonder, the global body recommends early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth.
It also promotes the feeding of a child on breast milk for the first six months (exclusive breastfeeding), further recommending that the child should continue being breastfed for up to 24 months or beyond, with introduction of nutritionally adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at six months.
Unfortunately for Malawi, the breastfeeding statistics are not that impressive since the country goes through episodes when they [rates] are high and episodes when they are low.
Take, for instance, indicators between 2011 and 2016.
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The Ministry of Health, through the Demographic Health Survey, indicates that the number of children who were exclusively breastfed in the first six months of their lives plummeted from 71 percent in 2011 to 61 percent in 2016.
This is despite that WHO indicates that “Breastfeeding gives every child the healthiest start to life. It is a baby’s first vaccine and the best source of nutrition”.
Recognising the importance of breastmilk to children, Ministry of Health officials have been leaving nothing to chance.
During the breastfeeding week for 2022—which, as usual, ran from August 1 to 7, with main activities taking place at Chimutu in Lilongwe—Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda indicated that they were doing their best to increase the breastfeeding rates for Malawi.
She acknowledged that although the performance of exclusive breastfeeding in Malawi was above the targeted 50 percent, there was still work to do.
“We are still facing challenges in initiating breastfeeding soon after delivery in some hospitals. We still have inadequate support for our working lactating mothers.
“For Malawi to accelerate and maintain a good score in optimal breastfeeding, we need greater investment in breastfeeding support policies and programmes,” Kandodo Chiponda said.
This week, Malawi has a chance to reflect on efforts it has made to ensure that mothers regard breastfeeding as the first vaccine for the child, giving babies a good start in life.
This year’s theme is ‘Closing The Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All’.
In a press statement, Principal Secretary for Health (Administration] James Manyetera said the theme was relevant to Malawi due to the decline in the country’s breastfeeding indicators.
“Breast feeding indicators have not been improving since 2016, with exclusive breastfeeding dropping from 71 percent in the year 2010 to 61 percent in the year 2016. The breastfeeding indicators are an indication that there is sub-optimal support for breastfeeding,” the statement reads.
The ministry further invited policymakers in public and private sectors, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to join the country in supporting and promoting breastfeeding.
To commemorate the week, the ministry held a national launch on Thursday at Mwala Primary School in Salima, with Health Deputy Minister Halima Daudi presiding over the activity.
While there, she emphasised the importance of ensuring that children get all the nutrients they need through breastmilk.
On his part, health rights activist Maziko Matemba said breastfeeding is key to sound health for a child, saying this is because the child gets all the nutritional needs through that simple act; lactating.
World Breastfeeding Week started in 1990 following the Innocent Declaration signed by member states and leaders of WHO and United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef).
The week is premised on raising awareness among decision-makers, workplaces and the wider community about the importance of breastfeeding and its benefits. It also seeks to improve the health of babies while promoting, protecting and supporting the rights of women to breastfeed anywhere at any time.
Meanwhile, Unicef indicates that Malawi is not among countries with the highest breastfeeding rates.
Instead, it is Rwanda (86.9 percent), Burundi (82.3 percent), Sri Lanka (82 percent), Solomon Islands (76.2 percent) and Vanuatu (72.6 percent) that are credited.
Malawi can only hope that it will be there one day.
