Child Development and Public Health Week 2

Breastfeeding

            Breastfeeding is meaningful to me because it helps the mother and the child bond more

together. Babies need to feel that nurturing, love, and security from their mother and the world

around them. Breastfeeding also helps mothers of not buying that expensive formula and it is

meeting the infant’s needs. The benefits of breast-feeding help the baby by having fewer ear

infections, allergies, less asthma, and a higher IQ, less likely to attend college.

            In the country of Kenya breastfeeding is on the high rise of demand for mothers. Kenya

has made significant strides in boosting exclusive breastfeeding, even passing a new law banning

the promotion of infant formula. A major part of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission

remains. The law, passed in September of the year of 2012 that prohibits the promotion of

complementary foods and forbids heath workers from accepting gifts from formula

manufactures. It also requires formula packaging to contain notices, warnings and necessary

information with respect to promotion of breastfeeding and proper use of breast milk substitutes.

It is hope that the law will contribute to the government’s push to encourage all mother to

breastfeed exclusively for at least six months. This is particularly important for HIV-positive

women six month of exclusive breastfeeding is associated with a three-to four-fold lower

risk of transmission compared to mixed feeding, according to the UN Children’s Fund. Kenya

has adopted the UN World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that HIV-positive

mothers should exclusively breastfeed their infants for the six months of life, introducing

appropriate complementary foods thereafter, and continue breastfeed for the first 24 months

of life.

            Breastfeeding has impact my future work as being an Early Head Start teacher of

providing resources for new moms that are pregnant to know the benefits of how it is important

to breastfeed your child. Unfortunately I was not able to breastfeed my child due to the fact that

my breast would not produce the milk. I was real upset because I wanted to bond more with my

child but there are other ways I knew to bond with my child. As a teacher I see a difference when

a parent breastfeed their child and when they don’t breastfeed their child. When children are not

being breastfeed I see children more sick with colds, allergies, and ear infection.  Some children

have a lot of ear infections that causes them later on to have tubes in their ears. This is how 

breastfeeding is important to my work.