World Breastfeeding Week 2023 is an important event that celebrates the importance of breastfeeding for both mothers and their children. Each year, the goal is to raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and to support mothers in their breastfeeding journeys. During this week, various activities are held to promote the importance of breastfeeding and to ensure that mothers have access to the resources and support they need to breastfeed successfully. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) organizes weeklong events and is also responsible for creating and disseminating educational materials and resources related to breastfeeding. World Breastfeeding Week also focus on promoting exclusive breastfeeding until the age of six months, as this has been proven to have many health benefits for both mother and child.
This year, the theme of World Breastfeeding Week 2023 is "Let's make breastfeeding and work, work!”. The aim of the theme is to promote exclusive breastfeeding for working mothers.
According to Dr Suneet Kaur Malhotra, Associate Director, Obstetrics And Gynaecology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, breastfeeding should be initiated within the first hour of life and exclusive breastfeeding i.e. the practice of feeding only breast milk (including expressed breastmilk) to the infant, and no other solids/liquids except supplements and medicines should be followed for the first six months of life.
- Breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first six months of life. The baby needs nothing more, no water even.
- It is easily digested and is readily available.
- Breastfeeding lowers the risk of many infections like diarrhoea, and upper respiratory tract infections (cold, cough) in newborns.
- It lowers the risk of developing asthma, type I diabetes, food allergies and obesity in children.
- Breastfed children perform better in intelligence tests and have fewer behavioural problems and learning disabilities.
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