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May 24, 2006
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Only breastmilk offers infants and young children complete nutrition, early protection against illness, and safe, healthy food—all at once, according to the latest Population Reports issue from the INFO Project at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs. Nearly all babies are breastfed to some extent, but far less than half are breastfed in the most beneficial way. "Better breastfeeding offers triple value: important improvements in child survival and health, better health for mothers, and temporary contraception," writes the author, Vidya Setty.
What can governments, programs, and health care providers do to support and enable women to breastfeed better? How can health care providers and mothers address the challenges that HIV/AIDS pose for breastfeeding? The answers to these questions and much more can be found in the 24-page report which highlights practical and comprehensive approaches to improve breastfeeding. The report also summarizes a successful breastfeeding promotion in Madagascar and explains how to promote and use breastfeeding for birth spacing by using the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM).
An 8-page INFO Reports issue entitled "Breastfeeding Questions Answered: A Guide for Providers," is provided as a companion tool to the Population Reports issue. Based on the latest evidence and international recommendations presented in the Population Reports issue, the Guide offers health care providers a quick reference and easy-to-understand answers to some of the most common questions that pregnant women and mothers, their families, and community members have about breastfeeding.
The Guide is designed to complement existing reference guides and training materials on breastfeeding. It answers questions such as:
Q. How can a woman know if she has enough milk and if her baby is getting enough milk?
A. If the baby is gaining weight steadily, both have enough milk.
Q. Should a woman breastfeed when her baby is sick?
A. When a baby is sick, the mother should breastfeed more often.
Q. Can a woman breastfeed if she is infected with HIV?
A. If a woman is infected with HIV, there is a chance that her baby will become infected during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding. The risk is less if the woman breastfeeds exclusively for the baby’s first few months of life. Avoiding breastfeeding altogether will prevent HIV from passing from mother to baby through breastmilk. But if replacement foods cannot be adequately and safely prepared, avoiding breastfeeding may expose a baby to greater risk of other serious diseases, such as diarrheal and respiratory illnesses. A mother with HIV should discuss her options with a health care provider.
These reports were authored by Vidya Setty, MPH. Fonda Kingsley, MHS, provided research assistance.
The full-text HTML version of this Population Reports issue, "Better Breastfeeding, Healthier Lives" is available at http://populationreports.org/l14/ (PDF version is available online at: http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/l14/published/l14.pdf).
The full-text HTML version of the INFO Reports companion issue, "Breastfeeding Questions Answered: A Guide for Providers," is available at http://www.infoforhealth.org/inforeports/breastfeeding/index.shtml (PDF version is available online at: http://www.infoforhealth.org/inforeports/breastfeeding/inforpt5.pdf).
A PowerPoint presentation of the information in the Population Reports issue that can be adapted and used for training, classroom lectures, and other presentations is available for download at http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/l14/published/l14.ppt.
To order this latest Population Reports issue and the companion "Guide for Providers" and other INFO publications in print, go to http://www.jhuccp.org/orders/orderform.php.
For a listing of all Population Reports issues online go to http://www.populationreports.org. Population Reports is published three times a year in English, French, and Spanish by the INFO Project at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs.
INFO Reports feature a brief look at special topics, newsworthy events, and important new research and program developments in family planning and reproductive health. INFO Reports appear occasionally, as important topics arise. To view all issues of INFO Reports, visit http://www.infoforhealth.org/inforeports/index.shtml.
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Disclaimer: The information provided on this web site is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Government or The Johns Hopkins University.
