US alert: shortage of breast milk substitutes
The lack of compensation in the US has built up during the coronavirus pandemic and is causing both concern and frustration among parents.
Breast milk is an ideal solution for babies’ nutritional needs in the first months of life – it’s safe, it’s pure, and it contains exactly the energy and nutrients your baby needs to grow and develop in the first six months. Furthermore, during the second half of the baby’s first year of life, mother’s milk can cover up to more than half of the energy and nutritional needs. The WHO therefore recommends breastfeeding for at least six months, and that from 6 months of age babies should be introduced to safe, well-adapted food alongside breastfeeding – preferably for up to two years or more.
Despite mother’s milk being such an ideal solution to energy and nutritional needs, according to the World Health Organization, only one third of infants worldwide are breastfed for at least six months. The WHO argues that irresponsible advertising of infant formula works against improving these figures. One of the goals the WHO is working towards is to increase the proportion of breastfed children to 50% by 2025. To achieve this goal, the WHO runs, among others, the NetCode initiative to monitor and prevent irresponsible marketing of infant formula. It is also actively working to train health professionals to provide professional breastfeeding support and to help breastfeeding mothers overcome breastfeeding problems.
Read more on the WHO website: https://www.who.int/health-topics/breastfeeding
The lack of compensation in the US has built up during the coronavirus pandemic and is causing both concern and frustration among parents.
Fatma is a mother of three who changed careers – from a cancer researcher to building companies around her hobby of sewing dolls. We talk about how children and parental leave made her reassess her life, and how she experienced the baby stage.
WHO rekommenderar uteslutande amning under de första 6 månaderna. UNNA stödjer detta till fullo liksom fortsatt amning tillsammans med introduktion av en varierad kost enligt råd från barnhälsovården.
The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months. UNNA fully supports this as well as continued breastfeeding along with the introduction of a varied diet as advised by child health services.