Breast feeding is always best and should be promoted
The Universe
(April 09, 2006)
AROUND 1.5 million children die every year because of corporate greed and misinformation about breast-feeding. These deaths are down to relentless marketing of baby formula powdered milk and the promotion of bottle feeding.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the Philippines alone an estimated 16,000 children under five die every year because they are not breast-fed. Even more shocking is the fact that babies bottle-fed on formula are 7-25 times more likely to die from diarrhea than a breast-fed child. They are also five to 50 times more likely to get pneumonia according to the WHO (www.babyreference.com)
Breast feeding is nature’s miracle food that is cheap, sterile and gives the essential nutrients that the child needs to survive and grow intelligent and strong. Prolonged breast feeding up to two years, research has shown, develops a close bond between mother and child that endures into adulthood.
Clinical tests have proven that breast feeding is vastly superior to any another kind. Why then is bottle feeding with baby formula still promoted by the food corporations? The answer, as usual, is profit. One marketing tactic was to offer gifts and bribes to maternity nurses in rural clinics all over the world to persuade mothers to put their babies on formula. Thousands died as a result.
As much as half a poor family’s income in the Philippines and other countries goes to pay for the formula. The other children have to go without at times. When they can’t afford it any longer a desperate mother will dilute the formula, sometimes with contaminated water, and the child dies.
Big corporations like Nestle, which is still subject of a boycott in many countries, sell bottled water to answer this criticism. But this just encourages the use of formula. The WHO brought out a code to control the irresponsible marketing tactics. So let’s protect children by watching out for violations of these WHO norms:
• A ban on public advertising of alternatives to breast milk, especially in health care clinics.
• A ban on giving free samples of formula to mothers. Nurses paid by companies making formula must not attend and advise new mothers.
• A ban on giving formula samples or gifts to health care workers. They can only be given scientific information on what is in best interest of the child.
• Glorifying formula feeding using baby pictures on product labeling is banned. The product should have labels showing the dangers and costs of formula feeding.
Breastfeeding should be the most normal and natural thing to do. An attitude that wants to ban breast-feeding in public must be challenged.
In the Philippine villages where I ministered for some years breast-feeding in church was an acceptable and normal custom. It kept the babies quite and content and the community celebration was more natural, joyful and meaningful. In Manila a big mall has opened a special breast feeding room for mothers.
This is what we need - more breast feeding and strict implementation of the WHO code.
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