Friday, August 08, 2008 WHO says: RP ranks low in breastfeeding By Joy Romares-Sevilla
A REPRESENTATIVE of the World Health Organization (WHO) said the Philippines ranked low in breastfeeding in a survey they conducted recently.
However, Dr. Howard Sobel, representative of WHO, failed to indicate the specific rank of the country in terms of breastfeeding, saying that the Philippines is one of the worst among 56 countries they surveyed.
Sobel graced the launching of the first breastfeeding-friendly bus and the breastfeeding room in the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT),
"In the Philippines, only 16 percent of the mothers are exclusively breastfeeding, while 15 percent of babies in the country have not even have a drop of breast milk," Sobel said.
"The launching of the breastfeeding room and the first ever breastfeeding-friendly bus is a wonderful movement because the Philippines is one of the places in the world that ranked the worst in breastfeeding," Sobel added.
He said breastfeeding could prevent deaths of infants.
"Based on studies, 82,000 of children in the Philippines who have not drunk breast milk died during their fifth birthday, and another 16,000 infants died because of susceptible feeding habits. Breastfeeding from the first hour the infant is born until two years could prevent deaths," Sobel said.
Sobel said the biggest misconception of mothers is the quote: "I don't have enough milk." He said mothers should be educated that the more the baby suckles, the more milk will be produced.
"We should also give the message out that the baby's stomach is just as little as a thumb, so there's no way for a mother to say that the baby could not be satisfied with the little milk she has," he said.
Sobel also said it is safe for a mother to feed the baby even if the mother has a cough, fever, or colds.
He said this is the time that the mother's body produces more anti-bodies that are helpful in preventing diseases.
He said every time the mother gets sick, the anti-bodies will be mixed with the milk and will be helpful to the baby when the latter takes it.
