The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) was observed for a week in August from 1st to 7th in the year 2019. This annual event was organized by the Food and Nutrition Board, functioning under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. This year’s theme was “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding”, with the emphasis being on the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding.
The Aims of The World Breastfeeding Week
The main objectives of World Breastfeeding Week were multifold:
1. To create awareness among parents about the significance and process of breastfeeding.
2. To promote and encourage parents to adopt breastfeeding as an important practice for the infant’s health.
3. To disseminate the importance of initiation and exclusive breastfeeding, along with adequate and apt complementary feeding.
4. To provide advocacy material about the crucial role of breastfeeding in a child’s growth and development.
Benefits of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is beneficial for not only the infants but also the nursing mothers. Here are the key benefits:
– It promotes better health for mothers and children.
– It prevents illnesses such as diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections in early infancy, thereby reducing infant mortality.
– For mothers, it minimizes the risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
– It provides a protective shield for infants from obesity-related illnesses, diabetes and increases their IQ.
The MAA – “Mothers Absolute Affection”
The MAA, or “Mothers Absolute Affection”, is a nationwide program developed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The goal of this initiative is to promote breastfeeding and provision of counselling services for supporting breastfeeding through health systems. The name ‘MAA’ symbolizes the support a lactating mother requires from her family members and at health facilities to successfully breastfeed.
Objectives of the MAA Programme
The objectives of the MAA program were designed to achieve the previously mentioned goal:
– To build an enabling environment for breastfeeding by generating awareness among pregnant and lactating mothers, family members and society to promote optimal breastfeeding practices.
– To position breastfeeding as a crucial intervention for child survival and development.
– To reinforce lactation support services at public health facilities through trained healthcare providers and skilled community health workers.
– To incentivize and recognize health facilities that exhibit high rates of breastfeeding and have processes in place for lactation management.
Vatsalya – Maatri Amrit Kosh
The ‘Vatsalya – Maatri Amrit Kosh’, is a National Human Milk Bank and Lactation Counselling Centre founded at the Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), Delhi. This organization was established in cooperation with the Norwegian government, Oslo University and the Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI).
Some Key Facts about Breastfeeding
| Fact | Description |
|---|---|
| Importance | Breastfeeding contributes immensely to a child’s health, growth and development. |
| Initiation | The initiation and exclusive breastfeeding are important for both mother and child. |
| Benefits | Breastfeeding minimizes the risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease in mothers while preventing several diseases in infants. |
Source
This information was provided by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Government of India.
