Efforts on to promote breast-feeding habit
Longer paid maternity leave, work-site support, and facilities for expressing and storing breast milk are necessary to encourage breastfeeding among Omani mothers
MUSCAT: Various events are being held in Oman this week to promote awareness about breastfeeding, which is not practised by almost half of Omani mothers.
Almost 50 per cent of Omani mothers are not breast-feeding their children, Saada Mohammed Al Mamari from the nutrition department of the Ministry of Health, said on the occasion of Breast-feeding Week, which is being observed in the Sultanate from November 1 to 7.
Picking up
Speaking to the Times of Oman, Al Mamari said the breastfeeding rate used to be high but has declined in recent years.
However, it is now improving, thanks to various initiatives. The expert attributed the tendency to use breast milk substitutes and infant formula to lifestyle changes, an increase in the number of working mothers, lack of awareness among mothers and, sometimes, even lack of well-trained counsellors.
She also believes that longer paid maternity leave, work-site support, and facilities for expressing and storing breast milk are necessary to encourage breastfeeding among Omani mothers.
Breastfeeding and work
This year’s theme is ‘Breastfeeding and work – Let’s make it work!’, Al Mamari said, adding that there are solutions to help mothers continue breastfeeding even if they are working.
“They should seek the advice of experienced people or visit health centres for consultation,” she said, adding that government’s assistance is also required to provide further support for mothers at workplaces and different centres and facilities across the country.
According to her, as part of this week’s activities, a conference will be held on Thursday at Holiday Inn, during which breastfeeding from a religious and psychological point of view will be discussed and experts from different regions will discuss the results of their activities.
Public exhibition
In addition, an exhibition will be held at Oman Avenues Mall on Friday from 4pm to 9pm, which will be open to the public and will provide an opportunity for mothers to consult experts about breast-feeding and ask them questions. The event is supported by Burjeel Medical Centre and Muscat Pharmacy.
Such activities are being held during this week in various parts of Oman and a greater emphasis is being laid this year on holding BFHI (Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative) courses, Al Mamari said.
The expert also noted that she visited 11 health centres in Muscat in the run-up to the Breast-feeding Week, as part of a campaign to evaluate the knowledge of the personnel, their services and the equipment they use. Their performance is good and they are trying their best to improve, she added.
Formula feeding has many disadvantages, Al Mamari said, adding that breast milk contains antibodies that help protect infants from childhood illnesses. Also, those who are breast-fed are healthier throughout their lives.
Many advantages
According to her, breast-feeding has many advantages for mothers as well as it helps with recovery from pregnancy and child-birth.
It also reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer in mothers and can be linked to lower rates of obesity, she added.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that adolescents and adults who were breast-fed as babies are less likely to be overweight or obese. They are less likely to have Type-2 diabetes and perform better in intelligence tests.
It also says that if every child was breast-fed within an hour of birth, given only breast milk for their first six months of life, and continued breast-feeding up to the age of two years, about 800,000 child lives would be saved every year.