Breastfeeding

Week 2 Childhood Development

This week the topic to discuss is about Public Health areas of concern. I have chose breastfeeding.

This topic is meaningful to me in that when I had my daughter. I attempted to breastfeed her because I knew that was the best milk and would be a way for me to bond with her. I tried in the hospital but she would not latch on. The nurse advised me that the hospital had a pump rental and so I decided to rent a pump I did that for a few weeks. Since she was not latching on I decided to see a la leche nurse to help me with the technique but my daughter for some reason did not like the breast milk. That frustrated me but I was not going to force it, you definitely need patience and time when deciding to breastfeed. We still had (have) a great bond even though it did not work out with the breastfeeding. I found out often boys do latch on better than girls.

Breastfeeding in West & Central Africa

-The duration of breastfeeding is 20 months
-The percentage of exclusive breastfed babies only is about 20 percent
-It is deeply rooted in the tradition and practice of countries, communities, and caregivers
-West and Central Africa has the highest infant mortality rates and lowest exclusive breastfeeding rates worldwide
-Unicef, local governments, and non-governmental organizations have helped to increase early initiation, and the duration of breastfeeding

I have learned that breastfeeding is an important source of nutrition for an infant and the benefits of the milk from the mother are great. I know that having a bond with your child can and will be created in many ways not just through breastfeeding. I feel that sharing my experience with breastfeeding could help someone who was experiencing difficulty and was frustrated. It is ok if it does not work out you can still bond with your baby. The important thing is at least you attempted to breastfeed.

http://www.unicef.org/