South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
Mothers have been urged to boost their babies’ growth by breastfeeding them exclusively for six months.
The call came on Thursday as the country joined the rest of the world in celebrating World Breastfeeding Week in Juba.
Held under the theme “Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for all”, the day is set aside by the World Health Organization to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.
Yolanda Awel Deng, the Minister of Health said breast milk provides the baby with nutrition, support growth and development.
“When you breastfeed, sometimes it helps you mentally, emotionally and physically. Most of the women that breastfeed absolutely, completely for the first six months and are very healthy, by the way, they lose a lot,” Awel said.
She said breastfeeding is one of the best investments in children and women’s health and survival.
“It is cost-effective for everybody, the family, the community, the government, and the society at large,” Awel said.
For her part, Ms. Hamida Lasseko, Country Representative of the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) emphasized that breastfeeding contributes to development and strengthening of the baby’s immune system.
“But most important is giving that psychological support. For people who have breastfed, they know what I’m talking about, the psychological support,” Lasseko said.
“The first six months, you shouldn’t be giving anything, you shouldn’t be spending your money to buy artificial milk, which is very expensive, but rather using that natural breast milk which God has given us,” she added.
Dr. Humphrey Karamagi, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in South Sudan, said in Africa only 53 percent of newborns are being initiated on breastfeeding within the first hour of life, against a target of 70 percent.
He said of that only 45 percent of infants under 6 months are exclusively breastfed, and only 67 percent of mothers continue to breastfeed their infants for at least one year.
Only 60 percent of infants less than 6 months are exclusively breastfed in South Sudan, while 40 percent are not exclusively breastfeed.
Breastmilk is a nutritional powerhouse for infants, providing all the essential nutrients they need in the first six months of life to two years.
It acts as a powerful immunization against life-threatening diseases, preventing diarrhea and respiratory infection.
Moreover, breastfeeding can reduce infection-related mortality among infants.
