No substitute for this milk

MUSCAT: Mother’s milk is the perfect food for the newborn as it provides all the nutrients for healthy growth. Breast milk protects babies from infections and allergies. However, there is an increasing trend among lactating mothers in the country to opt for formula milk which poses a big risk to child’s health.

The Holy Quran says a newborn should be completely breastfed for two years. This is because of the psychological and biological benefits that breastfeeding brings to the child. Children who are breastfed gain weight naturally and they are not at risk of obesity when they get older. It also reduces risk of diabetes, obesity and some types of cancer. Babies who are breastfed have lower incidence of ear infections, respiratory diseases and severe diarrhoea.

UNICEF and WHO remind us that breastfeeding is the cornerstone of a newborn’s health and it is the best source of infant nutrition.

The decline in the number of breastfeeding mothers in Oman is attributed to several factors. Many mothers turn to formula substitutes due to lack of awareness. For others cesarean delivery may be a reason for delaying the start of breastfeeding that may push the mother to give up breastfeeding. The other major reason is the reluctance of many working mothers who have to be out of home to attend office or field work for a long time.

Some mothers attempt to return to their normal weight before pregnancy due to peer or societal pressures that may affect breastfeeding, as they go on a fat loss diet, which sometimes leads to decline in breast milk.

For the lactating mothers, breastfeeding actually burns extra calories, so it can help the mother lose weight gained during pregnancy faster. It also releases the hormone oxytocin, which helps return the uterus to its normal size before pregnancy, and can help reduce uterine bleeding after and childbirth.

Recent studies have found that breastfeeding will reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis as well. The longer you breastfeed, lower your risk of developing breast cancer.

Mothers may be shy of breastfeeding babies when they are in public where there is no privacy that forces them to opt for milk substitutes.

To ensure healthy growth of newborns and reduce infant mortality, the health authorities in the Sultanate of Oman are launching a national campaign to promote breastfeeding and raise its rate in the Sultanate to 50 per cent by 2025. This comes in line with global nutrition goals of the World Health Organization, and to reduce the rate of disease and death among children aged less than five years in the Sultanate. It focuses on breastfeeding a baby for the first six months which ensures a perfect mixture of vitamins, proteins and fats. Mother’s milk is easier to digest than formula milk, and it contains antibodies that help the child fight viruses and bacteria.

In the Sultanate of Oman, a 2017 national survey found that exclusive breastfeeding in the Sultanate was 23 per cent, which is lower than the internationally recommended rate, which is no less than 50 per cent. The national campaign aims to highlight the importance of breastfeeding through setting up of breastfeeding clinics, workshops, brochures and videos.

Saada al Maamari, a breastfeeding consultant at the Ministry of Health, Department of Nutrition, said, “Recently, the Ministry of Health established a breastfeeding clinic in The Royal Hospital, Khoula Hospital and Bausher Health Centre with the aim of following up on mothers who suffer from breastfeeding difficulties and addressing those difficulties including new mums, working mothers and mothers of premature babies. It would address the child not receiving the necessary breastfeeding and educate mothers about not the consequences of lack of breastfeeding.”

The campaign also will also work to curb the influence of formula milk companies to encourage mothers to adopt breastfeeding. Breastfeeding clinics would set up support groups for mothers to encourage breastfeeding and drive home the point that a mother’s milk is the optimal food for the newborn child for better immunity and reduce the risks of chronic diseases.