27 Aug 2018

The chief executive officer of Love Botswana Outreach Mission, Dr Jana Lackey says delaying breastfeeding by 24 hours or more after birth increases risk of dying by 80 per cent.

She told a gathering during Breast feeding commemoration organised by Ngami District Health Management Team (DHMT) under the theme “ Breastfeeding, foundation for life” that the longer breastfeeding was delayed, the higher the risk of death in the first month of life.

She emphasised the need for mothers to breastfeed their babies describing breastfeeding as an universal solution that gives everyone a start in life and lays foundation for good health and survival of children and women.

“For the first six months of life, it is recommended to exclusively breastfeed your baby unless there are specific medical reasons to give other foods or liquids,” she added.

However, it was reported that last year, Ngami DHMT had recorded 11483 under five children who attended Child Welfare Clinic and within this number 181 had moderate malnutrition, 44 had severe malnutrition and 32 had growth failure while six deaths related to malnutrition were also registered.

Dr Lackey revealed that one of the factors contributing to that was lack of breastfeeding adding that if it was delayed by 2-23 hours after birth increases the risk of dying in the first 28 days of life by 40 per cent.

She said breastfeeding helps to prevent malnutrition in all forms, ensures food security for infants and young children and that it helps to bring people and nations out of hunger and poverty cycle.

She indicated that it also reduces diarrhoea related deaths.

Breast milk she said was a miracle food because it is linked to nutrition, health and greater well-being for children and mothers, which contributes to the central goals of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding, she said was vital to a more sustainable world adding that growing evidence showed that improving breastfeeding practices could save lives of more than 800 000 children under five every year, the vast majority of whom are under six months of age.

According to Dr Lackey an estimated 78 million newborns or three in five are not put to the breast within an hour of birth as recommended, depriving them of the essential nutrients, antibodies and skin to skin contact with their mothers that protect them from disease and death.

For her part, breastfeeding mother, Ms Gaothobogwe Musone stressed the need for mothers to ensure they breast feed their babies without fail noting that it helps in the upbringing and growth of the child.

She said as a working mother,  she always ensure her baby who was more than a year old was breastfed accordingly because breastfeeding enhances bonding between the mother and the baby.

She also indicated that mothers needed assistance and encouragement from their partners.

Outlining the objectives of the commemoration, DHMT coordinator,  Dr Malebogo Pusoentsi explained that they wanted to raise awareness on the importance of breastfeeding.

She also stated that parenting started when the two parents think of planning a baby until birth adding that the first three months are important for the life of the baby as it teaches parents how to take care of the baby. ENDS