New Zealand's Unsung Breastfeeding Heroes
MEDIA INFORMATION
PLUNKET
30 July 1999
NEW ZEALAND'S UNSUNG BREASTFEEDING HEROES
Breast really is best, says Plunket's National Nursing Advisor, Angela Baldwin, on the eve of World Breastfeeding Week (1-7 August 1999). And tens of thousands of New Zealand breastfeeding mothers are little-heralded champions of early childhood nutrition.
She cautions that society still has to make a lot of progress to making New Zealand breastfeeding-friendly.
"New mothers can be put off because society doesn't uniformly encourage breastfeeding - it's still discouraged in many public places, including workplaces and restaurants.
"Yet it's the best thing a mother can do to give her baby a healthy start. Breast milk is the ideal baby food, and medical studies have proven, time and time again, that breast-fed children are healthier and at a greater advantage for learning."
She observes that breast milk is also easy for baby to digest, always ready at the right temperature and free of charge.
Plunket, New Zealand's leading well child organisation, works to support breastfeeding by supporting mothers via:
- Plunket visits: in homes, and at Plunket clinics
and family centres
- Ante-natal education classes
-
Some Plunket nurses are also specially-trained lactation
consultants
- Collaborating with other breastfeeding and
well child organisations
- Plunket's 'Tots and Toddlers'
education programme for high school students
- Educating
Plunket's staff and its 10,000 volunteers about the benefits
of breastfeeding
Plunket encourages mothers to breastfeed exclusively until baby is age six months, after which complementary solids should be introduced, with breastfeeding continued. Although most babies are weaned fully onto solids at around the age of one year, some women choose to continue breastfeeding for several more years.
"Every mother's experience of breastfeeding is
different," says Mrs Baldwin. "But the one thing that all
breastfeeding mothers have in common is that they are giving
their child a terrific head start in life."
ends
See fact sheet over for more information on breastfeeding
BREASTFEEDING FACT SHEET
Babies need
breast milk because:
Breastfeeding improves baby's
brain development
It protects baby from illnesses that
cause malnutrition, learning and hearing difficulties
It
helps avoid many childhood conditions and diseases
Did
you know? It's been proven that:
Breastfed babies
achieve better at school
Special fatty acids in breast
milk lead to increased IQ and better eyesight
Breastfed
babies have fewer ear infections, which have been associated
with hearing loss and learning delays
'Breast is best'
because:
It's much cheaper. It costs nothing,
whereas bottle-feeding requires the purchase of equipment
and formula. A breastfed baby tends to be healthier, saving
money later on in doctors' bills and time taken off work by
parents
It's convenient. No measuring, mixing or heating
and it's always ready
It's free from germs and
allergy-producing substances
It's easy for baby to
digest
Breast milk changes to meet the changing needs of
your baby as it grows
Barriers to
breastfeeding:
( Some workplaces and public places
(e.g. restaurants, transport etc) discourage
breastfeeding, or don't provide suitable facilities for
it
( Some health professionals wrongly believe that
there are few if any significant differences between human
milk and infant formula
( Bottle-feeding is often
portrayed - by TV programmes, advertisements etc - as the
'normal' way to feed baby
Breastfeeding in New Zealand
- a thirsty business
Of the 55,000 or so mothers who
give birth every year in New Zealand, around 90 per cent -
about 49,500 - breastfeed, or attempt to breastfeed, their
babies
ENDS