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| World Breastfeeding week-edesonblog |
The ‘World Breastfeeding Week’
(WBW) is celebrated every year from 1st to 7th
August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around
the world. It is an annual initiative of World Alliance for Breastfeeding
Action (WABA). Though celebrated in August in about 176 countries, some
regions observe the day in October.
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding until the baby is 6-months old as it is the best way to provide newborns with the nutrients they need. The WHO also recommends continuation of breastfeeding with the addition of nutritious complementary foods for up to 2-years or beyond.
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding until the baby is 6-months old as it is the best way to provide newborns with the nutrients they need. The WHO also recommends continuation of breastfeeding with the addition of nutritious complementary foods for up to 2-years or beyond.
As a general convention, issues are
discussed when people start questioning the traditions being followed for long,
or show an increased interest in it. The same has happened with the idea of
breastfeeding. As a rule, mothers breastfed their infants for a year and
sometimes longer, till the birth of the second child. But these days, due to
paucity of time and as a matter of convenience, some mothers choose to shift to
powdered, bottled milk as a substitute for breast milk. The crux of the matter
here is to popularise breast milk simply because there is just no substitute
that can be available for it.
There are two aspects why
breastfeeding is important for the mother as well as for the child. One is the
nutritional aspect while the other is the psychological aspect. While the
nutritional aspect is no doubt very important, that which some think can be
substituted, the psychological bonding which develops between the child and the
mother is unparalleled and does not have any alternative.