CITIZENS UNITE!

Stats first: The World Health Organization has set a country target of a 50 percent exclusive breastfeeding rate for babies up to 6 months old by 2025. Currently, SA’s exclusive breastfeeding rate is 32 percent for children under six months, which means only one in three is exclusively breastfed.

One in four are not breastfed at all, but are exclusively formula-fed. Dr Chantell Witten from the Centre of Excellence in Food Security at the University of the Western Cape says that we should actually be working towards a rate of 80 to 90 percent if we are to solve our malnutrition problems. Formula is very expensive and, given our poverty rates, many more mothers should be breastfeeding. Our high stunting rate hasn’t improved in 25 years. At the same time, we also have one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the world.

Our public health sector is probreastfeeding, but the general culture has to transform to support breastfeeding mothers, Dr Witten says.

“We cannot shame mothers who choose to breastfeed in public spaces. Even in the home, instead of aunts and mothers adding pressure by discouraging breastfeeding, they should become advocates in favour of breastfeeding.” “It is for us as a collective to respond to hostile experiences in retail stores, in airlines, and even at hospitals where women are asked not to breastfeed in the medical waiting rooms. Even a small room behind a curtain is unacceptable, because freedom of eating for anyone is not constrained, so we don't want to constrain it, even for children,” Dr Witten says. Returning to work creates another obstacle, but with management buy-in a dedicated space can be provided for moms to express breast milk, with all the facilities you might need.

The National Department of Health has a campaign called Side by Side providing a link to a wide range of available resources that you can use to spread the message! Visit sidebyside. co.za/resources/

THE WHO HAS SET A COUNTRY TARGET OF A 50% EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING RATE FOR BABIES UP TO 6 MONTHS OLD BY 2025 .