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Feedy healthy massage6/18/2023 Women who may benefit from increased breastfeeding encouragement and support can include: multiparous mothers with previous negative breastfeeding experience 8, mothers returning to work 9, mothers who smoke 10, mothers of Indigenous children 11 and mothers from CALD backgrounds. Targeted support should be available for population groups with relatively low breastfeeding initiation and duration. Populations who may benefit from targeted support General practitioners, lactation consultants, and community or maternal and child health (MACH) nurses, are uniquely placed to provide appropriate reassurances and, where necessary, support to access specialist care. Parents may experience myriad concerns regarding the health, development and behaviour of their infant. It is important that this practice occurs under appropriate supervision from healthcare professionals.ĭata indicates that many mothers initiate breastfeeding but do not persist 7, highlighting the need for a greater deal of support to allow mothers to extend the duration of their breastfeeding. In healthy infants, early skin-to-skin contact can help to support breastfeeding initiation, increase duration and improve infant thermal regulation 6. Breastfeeding is also associated with reduced risk of some cancers 5. Breastfeeding should be encouraged, recognising that it may not be the most appropriate option for all caregivers.īenefits to mothers of breastfeeding include improved bonding with their infant, accelerated recovery from childbirth, and progress towards a healthy body weight 4. 2 These benefits peak in childhood and adolescence, with a gradual dilution occurring over time 3. Longer-term benefits of breastfeeding include lower prevalence of overweight and obesity, lower systolic blood pressure and lower levels of type 2 diabetes. Breastfeeding allows for passive transfer of maternal antibodies which protect infants prior to their first routine childhood vaccination. Breastfeedingīreastfeeding provides health benefits to infants, including reduced risk of infection, asthma and atopic disease, and sudden infant death syndrome 1. New parents should be supported to make informed decisions regarding the feeding of their infant, recognising that this will be influenced by numerous social, physiological and individual lifestyle factors.īoth breast and bottle feeding provide opportunities for parents to bond with their infants, whilst ensuring that the infant’s nutritional needs are being met. Infants need a healthy start to life to reduce the risk of chronic conditions later in life, and doctors and healthcare professionals are uniquely positioned to support parents to achieve this. Infant nutrition and early infant growth patterns lay the foundation for eating patterns and weight gain later in life. National advisory bodies should provide consistent advice surrounding optimal breastfeeding practices, including duration of breastfeeding, and the introduction of complementary foods. Ongoing independent research is important to achieve up-to-date national consensus on best-practice breastfeeding recommendations, and effective breastfeeding promotion strategies.Access to maternal and perinatal services should be improved, particularly the provision of culturally appropriate services for Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families, and for rural and remote families. Access to Perinatal Depression (PND) services should be improved through increasing the availability of specialised mother and baby units (MBUs).Doctors, medical students, and other health professionals who provide advice, should be appropriately trained and educated on the benefits of breastfeeding, including education and appropriate support for those mothers who experience difficulties with breastfeeding.Efforts must be made to increase the affordability and availability of fresh food in rural and remote communities to allow for appropriate weaning to occur.Parents who are unable or choose not to breastfeed should be provided with appropriate care and assistance to formula feed their child.Parents should receive education regarding infant feeding patterns and cues, as well as behavioural and developmental expectations. Populations with low breastfeeding rates should receive targeted support to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration.Promotion of breastfeeding, not only to women of childbearing age but to all within the community (including men), may have a positive impact on breastfeeding. Parents should be supported to make informed decisions about feeding infants.Breastfeeding should be promoted as the optimal infant feeding method.
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