Health

It is important to close the gap in the possibilities that women have to breastfeed their children since breastfeeding can act as a factor of equality in society.

Human milk is the best nutrition for children at a time when the epigenetic foundations for health and development are being established. Everyone has the right to access breast milk.

It is essential that no one is left behind, especially vulnerable mothers who may need additional support to reduce inequalities in the ability to breastfeed.

This World Breastfeeding Week, let’s appreciate breastfeeding mums and ensure they get the support they need.

Breastfeeding support comes in many forms – from staff welcoming breastfeeding in your local café to helpful advice from a health worker or maternity protections from your government.

These all help protect the health and rights of women and babies

Mothers who brestfeed need:

- Policies and attitudes that value women and breastfeeding
- A women and breastfeeding-friendly health care system
- Respect for women’s autonomy and her right to breastfeed anytime, anywhere
- Solidarity and community support

This year we want to really recognize breastfeeding mums, ensure they are seen and heard, and share relatable human experiences about breastfeeding and the importance of multi-level support.

World Breastfeeding Week is held in the first week of August every year.

The theme for 2024 is Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all.

The campaign will celebrate breastfeeding mothers in all their diversity, throughout their breastfeeding journeys, while showcasing the ways families, societies, communities and health workers can have the back of every breastfeeding mother.

This World Breastfeeding Week, let’s appreciate breastfeeding mums and ensure they get the support they need.

Universal neonatal screening for eye anomalies is recommended. This should be accompanied by diagnostic and treatment services for infants in whom an abnormality is detected.

An estimated 1.14 million children aged 0-15 years are blind or have severe visual impairment due to eye conditions. The main causes of blindness are congenital and developmental cataracts, corneal scarring, congenital ocular anomalies, retinal dystrophies, glaucoma, and retinopathy of prematurity.

Conveying the right information, for the informed decision of mothers and families, is correct and ethical.
Considerable scientific evidence is available on breastfeeding and human milk feeding as a public health strategy given its myriad benefits for both newborns and breast feeders. However, breastfeeding is often perceived by some health care professionals as simply a lifestyle choice. They fear creating guilt in those who choose not to breastfeed by "pushing" for breastfeeding.

Since 1991, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) has sought to motivate healthcare teams caring for newborns to provide the best support for successful breastfeeding, based on the Ten Steps.

Human milk (HM) is recognized for its safety, efficacy, availability and cost/effectiveness. Consequently, it is the best food for newborns, even if they are small, premature or sick.

Breastfeeding improves child survival, health and development.

HM has the potential to reduce morbidities and improve health, especially in those born extremely prematurely, as it contains bioactive substances with bactericidal, immunomodulatory, and gut maturation-inducing properties.

Applying emollient or moisturizing creams or any other product on the skin of newborns is not recommended.
At birth, human skin is covered with an acid mantle, which is key to maintaining the baby’s defenses. Although there is no scientific evidence about the harmful effects of emollients, no benefits have been demonstrated in their application.
Therefore, it is not recommended to apply emollients or other products on the skin. If in doubt, it is always advisable to ask your health care team.

Routine application of topical emollients is not recommended for the prevention of skin conditions in healthy full-term infants.
This recommendation was developed by the WHO Guidelines Development Group (GDG). The GDG agreed that there was insufficient evidence on the beneficial and harmful effects of routine application of topical emollients on healthy term newborns to prevent skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis, dry skin and others.