As breastfeeding is the best way to keep a child healthy and fit, staff of health services on Friday pledged to support breastfeeding for every mother while attending maternity service in hospitals.
The pledge was made during the launch of World Breastfeeding Week at the office chamber of the Directorate of Health Services.
Addressing media, state mission director of State Mission Director, State Health Society, Manipur, Dr Somorjit Ningombam, said that the state is going to observe World Breastfeeding Week under the theme ‘Step up for breastfeeding: Educate and Support’ to encourage breastfeeding and to grew up children with good health’.
He informed that initiating breastfeeding within one hour of birth and continuing it alone for the first six months would help the child achieve optimal growth, development and good health. After six months, infants can be given nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods but breast milk should also continue at least till two years or beyond, he added.
An exclusively breastfed infants is 14 times less likely to die from diarrhoea, four times less likely to die from respiratory diseases and three times less likely to die from other infections as compared to bottle fed infants, he added, while informing that breast milk contains right kinds of proteins, fats, lactose, vitamins, minerals, water and enzymes in the amount necessary for baby transferring antibodies from the mother.
He also said that exclusively breastfed infants have lesser asthma, allergy, eczema and better intelligent quotients. It also has a positive impact on reducing overall morbidity and mortality in infants and children under five years, he added.
He further said that breastfeeding not only benefits the child but also the mother as well. Breastfeeding reduces postpartum bleeding and helps in early uterine involution. It provides a natural contraceptive effect for the first four to six months of birth, protective effect against breast and ovarian cancer and enhances emotional bond between the child and the mother, the State Mission Director informed.
Supplementing the conference, state nodal officer, Child Health, Dr A Sylvia, said that during this weeklong observance of World Breastfeeding Day, sensitization programme for all health care workers working at delivery point will be held to ensure early initiation of breastfeeding, both in normal and C-Section deliveries. Sensitizations on the importance of breastfeed amid COVID-19 etc. would also be held, Dr Sylvia said.
