Well-nourished generations

For a country with unchecked population growth in the past, the lack of awareness on the benefits of breastfeeding has resulted in millions of missed opportunities to improve the country’s neonatal health statistics. According to UNICEF and WHO, approximately 60 per cent of newborns — 78 million babies — are not breastfed within their first hour of life, rendering them susceptible to a plethora of diseases and disadvantages in terms of cognitive development. August 7^th will mark the end of World Breastfeeding Week, unfortunately without much of a noticeable campaign promoting healthful breastfeeding practices immediately after childbirth. A miniscule 0.6% increase in exclusively breastfed children was observed between 2007 and 2013, from 37.1% to 37.7%. Access to information on factors that promote neonatal health needs to be provided by doctors and legislators. Naya Pakistan should encompass an improvement in the quality of maternal and neonatal health, welcoming the naya infant in an environment that promotes its survival.

While at present, all provinces have adopted laws to promote breastfeeding, implementation of the Protection of Breast-Feeding and Child Nutrition Ordinance, 2002 needs to be prioritised. Stunted growth and childhood malnutrition can be mitigated through better breastfeeding practices as one of its major contributors. Following a global pattern, bottle-feeding practices in Pakistan rose between 2007 and 2013 from 32% to 41%, respectively.

Our unimpressive development indicators pertaining to maternal and neonatal health, nutritional safety, and access to healthcare have the potential to improve if health education of expectant mothers and families is focused on. Now is also an opportune time to reverse the rising trends in bottle-feeding that are putting millions of dollars into the pockets of companies that speak laurels of their infant formulas as adequate replacements for breast milk.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2018.

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