Philippines marks World Breastfeeding Week

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is an important program that promotes the feeding of breast milk to newborn babies and infants. Breast milk is considered the best food to nourish infants in their beginning years and protects them from neonatal disease. WBW is officially celebrated on August 1-7 in over 170 countries of the world, including the Philippines.

Children, especially infants, constitute the most vulnerable groups in times of emergencies caused by natural and man-made calamities.

They face the risk of diarrhea, severe infections, respiratory diseases, and malnutrition.

Studies have proven that infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life achieve optimal growth, development, and health. Breast milk alone is sufficient for newborns and infants until they are 6 months old. Supplemented with other food, breast milk is still beneficial to the child even beyond 6 months old.

Initiated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), this year’s WBW has the theme “Talk to me! Breastfeeding – a 3D Experience” to encourage people and organizations to look at breastfeeding beyond the two dimensions of time (from pregnancy to weaning) and space (the home, community, health care system, etc.), because neither would have much impact without the third dimension, which is communication. Communication is seen as an essential part of protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding.

People live in a world where they can instantly connect across small and wide distances as individuals and as global communities.

New lines of communication are being created every day, and people gain the ability to use these information channels to broaden their horizons and spread breastfeeding information beyond their immediate time and place to activate dialogue. The third dimension includes cross-generation, cross-sector, and cross-culture communication and encourages the sharing of knowledge and experience, thus enabling a broader span of outreach.

Let us support the World Breastfeeding Week campaign by educating our young on the benefits of breastfeeding both to the infant and to the mother.

Let us encourage mother-baby-friendly hospitals and health care facilities to educate mothers on the importance of breastfeeding and provide them adequate support and information so that even after they leave the hospital they will be able to address possible problems relative to the nutrition of their newborn.