Successful breastfeeding practices in Namibia require support: officials

Officials from United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in Namibia, have re-emphasised the importance of removing social and economic barriers which often hinder children from yielding lifelong health benefits from breast milk.

The joint statement was made on Friday by the two organisations on occasion of the World Breastfeeding week.

The World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated globally every year from Aug. 1 to 7 to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.

This year's theme -- Breastfeeding: Not just a one woman job-- emphasises that successful breastfeeding practices require a supportive social, cultural and economic environment and time, including support and encouragement from the health care providers, families, employers and communities.

"Breastmilk is a baby's first vaccine, the first and best protection they have against illness and disease," said UNICEF Representative, Micaela Marques de Sousa.

"For most mothers, particularly the working mothers, support is needed to balance the demands of making a living with the desire to provide this first line of defence for the baby through breastfeeding," she added.

The World Breastfeeding Week theme helps to revisit the discussion on working women and breastfeeding and sets the pace for reinvigorating earlier global campaigns.

"It is globally recommended that mothers start breastfeeding within the first hour of their babies' lives and breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months," said WHO Representative, Monirul Islam.

"Creating conditions for these important feeding guidelines to be followed can affect survival and health for children as there would be lower rates of disease and death," he added.

According the 2013 Demographic and Household Survey, 49 percent of children in Namibia are exclusively breast fed between birth and 6 months of age, however the practice of continued breastfeeding up to 2 years along with the introduction of complementary foods, is not well practiced in Namibia. Endit