On August 1st, World Breastfeeding Day is celebrated., date created in 1992 by the World Alliance for Action for Breastfeeding (World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action - WABA) with the purpose of promoting breastfeeding and the creation of milk banks, thus ensuring a better quality of life for children around the world. The date is celebrated within the World Breastfeeding Week, which takes place in 120 countries annually between the 1st and 7th of August.
Importance of breastfeeding
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), The breast-feeding it is the main way to provide the baby with the nutrients necessary for its survival and development. In the first six months of life, exclusive breastfeeding must occur, without supplementation with any food. After the six-month period, other substances can be offered to the child. It is noteworthy that several studies suggest that children should be fed with milk until at least two or three years of age.
Although many people claim that a person's milk can be weak, this fact is not reality. All women have milk capable of nourishing and protecting their child, so it is not necessary to add any product to the baby's diet early in life. It is also worth noting that the mother's milk is already at the ideal temperature for the child, does not need sterilization and can be used without fear.
In breast milk, the child finds not only the substances necessary for your nutrition, but also fundamental antibodies to protect it in early life. Studies prove that mortality from infectious diseases is lower in children who are breastfed. Breast milk also provides protection against respiratory infections, prevents diarrhea and its aggravation, in addition to reducing the risk of allergy.
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With regard to medium and long term benefits, breastfeeding causes children to have lower blood pressures, lower cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes. In the latter case, we can highlight the fact that the breastfeeding woman also has this reduced risk.
Benefits of breastfeeding for mothers
For women, breastfeeding also brings benefits, highlighting the protection against the breast cancer and ovaries, as well as a decrease in the risk of death from rheumatoid arthritis. In the first six months, the act of breastfeeding can guarantee protection against a new pregnancy. Studies indicate that ovulation is related to the number of daily feeds of the baby, therefore, it occurs earlier in women who breastfeed less often. We can also highlight that breastfeeding creates a greater emotional bond between mother and baby.
For those women who for some reason cannot breastfeed, breast milk can be obtained from the so-called Human Milk Banks. These banks are maintained thanks to breastfeeding women who have excess milk and donate, thus ensuring quality of life for other children.
Faced with so many benefits, it is not difficult to understand how breastfeeding is essential for a child's health. Therefore, initiatives such as the World Breastfeeding Week and the World Breastfeeding Day are essential to ensure society's awareness of this issue. In addition, it is important to invest in campaigns that demystify ingrained concepts such as “weak milk” and that “breast milk does not quench the child's thirst”, thus teaching how to perform breastfeeding in the right way. proper.
By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SANTOS, Vanessa Sardinha dos. "August 1 — World Breastfeeding Day"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/datas-comemorativas/dia-mundial-amamentacao.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
