{"id":22358,"date":"2013-08-02T09:25:23","date_gmt":"2013-08-02T16:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldvision.org\/?p=22358"},"modified":"2021-08-15T16:09:46","modified_gmt":"2021-08-15T23:09:46","slug":"breastfeeding-key-child-healthy-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldvision.org\/health-news-stories\/breastfeeding-key-child-healthy-life","title":{"rendered":"Breastfeeding: The key to a child\u2019s healthy start in life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fatima, a 35-year-old mother of seven, was pressured to follow the customs of her village in Afghanistan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“My mother-in-law told me, ‘Your [first] milk is dirty and you should throw it away. It is harmful for baby.’”<\/p>\n

When her sixth child, Elnaz, was born, “I didn’t feed [her] with my breast milk for two days, the same as I did for my older children,” she says.<\/p>\n

Instead, Fatima’s mother-in-law fed the baby with spoonfuls of powdered candy and animal oil. A week later, when Fatima tried to breastfeed, baby Elnaz wouldn’t accept her milk. Powdered milk offered a solution, but after four months the family couldn’t afford the cost. Fatima fed Elnaz a watered-down version of what the rest of the family was eating.<\/p>\n

“Day-by-day Elnaz grew up, but not like a normal child,” says Fatima. “She started walking and speaking later than others. She even looked weak, thinner, and most of the time was sick.”<\/p>\n

Fatima didn’t know how to reverse the course — then she met a group of mothers who had been trained and equipped by World Vision to teach hygiene and nutrition to their peers.<\/p>\n

“I was very happy when the women came to my house and weighed Elnaz,” says Fatima. “They said they would help feeding her. Then I went to the house of one of my neighbors every day for 10 days. We cooked together for the children. Everybody brought a child and little bit of food from home.”<\/p>\n

The women learned the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, when and how to add new foods that are healthy and local, and handwashing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Before, I didn’t pay particular attention to my children’s food,” says Fatima. “I had beans, vegetables, and carrots in the home, but didn’t know about [the] importance of these foods.<\/p>\n

“On day 12, the supervisor weighed Elnaz. I could not believe it. Elnaz’s weight had been increased.” This put her daughter on the path to improved health.<\/p>\n

Fast facts about breastfeeding<\/h2>\n

Optimal breastfeeding and nutrition could save 220,000 children’s lives each year, according to the World Health Organization<\/a> (WHO)<\/em>. But<\/em> per<\/em> a 2011 report from the WHO<\/a>, only 38% of children are exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life. <\/em><\/p>\n

Even fewer get enough nutrients and diversity in their diet up to the age of 2 — mostly because many women lack the information they need to make good decisions about feeding their children. Here are five breastfeeding facts from the WHO<\/a>:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Breastfeeding should start within an hour of birth.<\/li>\n
  2. Breast milk is nutritionally complete for a baby’s first six months of life.<\/li>\n
  3. Breastfeeding contributes to a lifetime of better health.<\/li>\n
  4. Infant formula doesn’t contain antibodies to protect children’s health, and both contaminated water in formula and over-diluted formula are dangerous.<\/li>\n
  5. HIV-infected mothers can safely breastfeed when they are taking antiretroviral drugs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Narges Ghafary of World Vision’s Afghanistan staff contributed to this article.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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