Seminar on the benefits of breastfeeding for women in rural Sindh
A seminar promoting breastfeeding among local communities in rural Sindh was held during the World Breastfeeding week at the three Rural Health Centres, supported by Community World Service Asia and Act for Peace. A large number of community members consisting of women and men and government health department officials took part at the various sessions of the seminar at the RHCs in Hyderfarm, Nabisar and Dhoronaro. The seminar was facilitated and sessions were delivered by experienced Medical Superintendents (MSs) and Community World Service Asia health team on the importance and benefits of breastfeeding. This was organized to encourage more and more women to breastfeed for longer periods and to not consider it a taboo.
Key points highlighted at the seminar were:
- WHO recommend that babies are exclusively breastfed for 6 months and solid foods are started after that, along with continuing breastfeeding for two years and longer
- Breastfeeding provides the ideal amount of nutrition for infants. It is a perfect combination of vitamins, protein and fat – everything that the baby needs for a healthy development
- Breast milk consists of antibodies that help babies fight viruses and bacteria
- Babies who are breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months without being given any formula milk are less prone to infections and illnesses
- Breast milk is easily digestible and is also known to be a contributing factor towards higher IQ scores later in childhood
- Breastfed babies are considered to have a healthy weight with less chances of obesity later on
- Breastfeeding also helps the mother to lose pregnancy weight faster
