Ms Dorcas Asante, the Head of the Nutrition Unit of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, has urged the public to encourage lactating mothers to sustain exclusive breastfeeding of their babies for their maximum benefit.
Ms Asante said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during the commemoration of World Breastfeeding Week 2023, which was on the theme: “Enabling breastfeeding, making a difference for working parents,” with a sub-theme of “Let’s make breastfeeding and work, work!
She said health experts had recommended that breastfeeding begin within the first 30 minutes of a baby’s life and continue as often as the baby desired.
She added that it was recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that infants be fed exclusively breast milk for six months, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to two years or beyond.
Ms Asante mentioned some of the benefits of breastfeeding for the baby as the provision of ideal nutrition because it contained all the nutrients needed to sustain a baby for the first six months of life in their right proportions.
She said breastmilk was loaded with antibodies for fighting against infections, noting that it was easily digested by babies, therefore preventing constipation, diarrhoea and stomach upset.
Breastfeeding also improves the cognitive development of the infant while lowering their risk of developing type two diabetes and obesity in adulthood.
It also decreases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, ear and respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and whooping cough, she said.
Ms Asante indicated that there were also benefits for the mother which included lowering the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, type two diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure.
It further pauses ovulation and menstruation, serving as a form of natural contraception, burning extra calories and helping the body return faster to its pre-pregnant state.
Further, it reduces the risk of postpartum depression, helps the uterus to contract as oxytocin secretion increases during breastfeeding, encouraging the uterine contraction process.
The nutritionist stated that for the family, breastfeeding decreases the financial burden as it was far cheaper than breastmilk substitutes.
“Breastfed babies are healthier, and there is a decrease in expenses for medical treatment and lost workdays caring for a sick child,” she said.
She stated that breastmilk does not require importing formula and utensils, which saves money for the country, and when practised widely, it helps protect the environment as it lessens waste from the production of formula milk tins.
Ms Asante stated that breastfeeding led to a decrease in the number of childhood illnesses and a reduction in national expenditure on treatment, improved child survival and reduced morbidity and mortality.
