Mothers can stick to breast-feeding if they know the “How”

Countries from around the globe celebrated World Breastfeeding Week, which is marked every year on the first week of August to encourage breasfeeding and improve the health of babies.

This year it focused on links between breastfeeding and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Having heard and read strategies and thoughts from the government officials and advocates insisting on breastfeeding and discouraging other milk products, it’s high time we get to know why.

According to research, foods other than breast milk have been found to have adverse effects in babies below one year of age.

There is now no question that mother’s breast milk is the best food for her child, unfortunately, not many women or mothers are aware of the real benefits of breast milk to their infants.

As a nurse, I can tell more precisely that breast milk has many advantages for both the mother and her baby, especially when Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF) for the baby below six months is practiced.

Scientific evidence shows that breast milk has everything the baby needs for growth. It can easily be digested by the infant and contains antibodies that help the baby fight against infections.

Also, breastfeeding lowers the baby’s risk of having asthma or allergies. Babies who are breastfed exclusively for the first six months, have fewer ear infections, respiratory illnesses, bouts of diarrhea and are more likely to survive compared to non-exclusively breastfed.

Breastfeeding has been linked to higher IQ scores in later childhood in some studies.

What’s more, the physical closeness, skin-to-skin touching, and eye contact all help in bonding between the mother and the baby. It has been thought to lower the risk to diabetes, obesity and certain cancers.

In Tanzania, the government has shown commitment in making EBF a reality but still only 50 per cent of children below six months are exclusively breastfed.

Many mothers still cannot practice EBF, leave alone those who have never heard about it. There are those who are well informed about it, and those who have tried and failed.

It is true that strong leadership in promoting and supporting breastfeeding is essential but the focus seems to be mainly on the “What” and not the “How.” The “how” question has been forgotten.

We need to focus on ‘How’

I have come across health care providers who are preaching about the values of EBF, just concentrating on the “what” and forgetting to address the ‘How question” but even themselves not actually living what they preach.

The message I want to deliver today is that EBF is possible for all eligible mothers but with focus on the how.

The world EBF is now popular; its importance too. The problem most mothers are facing is lack of information on how to succeed in putting it into practice.

I am a mother of three now and I know how this works. I have met a lot of mothers who seem to have given up on EBF.

However, through advice some mothers have succeeded and could not believe it is possible until they tried.

The information that is being provided at health facilities during antenatal and postnatal visits is just “mother’s milk is important for the child, therefore you are supposed to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months” that is it.

No one provides a clear guidance to the mothers on how to do it, in order to practice and achieve it. There is a lot to be done in order to achieve EBF. There is a lot to do in order to achieve EBF that is not mentioned at places expected to get such information

Mothers are not practicing or not succeeding in exercising EBF due to many reasons including; not being informed about it, getting limited information, being informed but not taking it seriously, thinking it is impossible, trying and not succeeding. The mothers think breast milk is not enough for the baby, believing the baby is refusing to take breast milk and other misconceptions.

Let the focus now be on achieving the EBF practice. Parents, particularly mothers must be the target. For now, investments have to be in the real act of EBF.

It will serve great purpose, if parents will be educated in relation to the subject and now the techniques that will help in achieving it.

Mothers have to be educated that they have to be psychologically ready for this task and believe that it is possible when one decides to do it.

Expressing breast milk is an art, therefore they have to be shown how to express breast milk in a proper way of course including hygiene and proper storage.

Time is crucial in this exercise as well since one does not need to rush but relax and have time to express breast milk.

Breast milk cannot be expressed whenever the mother wants to do so, it is when breasts are full with milk, therefore timing on when to express breast milk is important in this exercise.

Some mothers believe breast pumps (breast suctioning machines) can do magic in achieving EBF. This is not true and some have tried with machines but have not succeeded.

Machines do not produce milk, they help in expressing the already available milk in the mothers breast, but believe me your own hands will do it better than a breast pump.

Family members have to be part of this exercise by helping the mother with other household chores during this period including preparing her a nutritious diet. In the mothers absence, they can help feeding the baby using stored breast milk.

EBF is not as easy as said, it is just a lot of_ dedication, believing in it, practicing without turning back, sparing time for it, and gaining support from family members just to mention a few.

The author is a nurse and a Public Health Specilaist based in Dar es Salaam.