Lets Make Breastfeeding Work, Work!
Emirates Nursing Association celebrated the World Breastfeeding Week (WABA) is a global healthcare event in the first week of August (01st to 07th) in collaboration with Umm Al Quwain Hospital and primary healthcare at Emirates Health Services. During the entire week, various international and local organizations join hands in promoting the importance of breastfeeding benefits to newborns and mothers. World Breastfeeding Week also promotes, defends, and supports women's rights to breastfeed their babies anytime and anywhere.
Breast milk is the primary source for all their nutritional needs in the initial few months of an infant's life as it comprises 87% water, 7% carbohydrate, 4% lipid and 1% protein, vitamins, and other minerals potassium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, etc. The right breastfeeding equipped with both child and maternal benefits that leads to prevention of child from diseases (short- and long-term diseases) as follows; Type 1 Diabetes (Little or no insulin production; resulting in increased blood sugar), Sudden infant death syndrome (unexpected, sudden, unexplained death of a healthy baby, also called cot death. Obesity (Excess fat), Respiratory problems (such as respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, etc.), Diarrhea, leading to quick dehydration, Otitis media (middle ear infection) and necrotizing enterocolitis (a serious gastrointestinal issue affecting premature babies)
20 breastfeeding mothers have participated representing the community from the new mothers, housewives and workers all with newborns. Couple of shared leaning from knowledge and lectures introduced on the importance of breastfeeding was delivered by Dr. Ghada Hamdan in collaboration with Maternal and child health (MCH) and Umm Al Quwain Hospital Nurses. The importance of breastfeeding was discussed and mothers were advised and encouraged to continue breastfeeding as it has a great impact on the child, the mother and society as a whole.
Various determinants affect a successful optimal breastfeeding practice, including family and community, health system and services, sociocultural factors, mother-infant interaction, workplace and employment, and others.. Thus World Breastfeeding Week strives to enlighten the stakeholders/policymakers in changing the workplace environment by adapting breastfeeding policy, thereby promoting optimal breastfeeding practice and its impact on the development of their infants.
World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), a global network that aims to protect, promote and support breastfeeding around the world. Along the way, it works with the World Health Organization and UNICEF to get its aid to the right people in the right communities.
At the end of the celebration, mothers who exclusively breastfed their children were honored and reworded.
