Still On Baby-Friendly Workplace Initiative

The word baby-friendli
ness simply explains a commitment to promote ultimate  breastfeeding. It emphasises  the need to feed the newborn exclusively on breast milk, while additional milk can only be allowed on medical grounds.
Of late, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has consistently raised awareness campaigns on the imperativeness of breastfeeding, especially the exclusive one. Their concern stems from the fact that nutrition during the baby phase has a serious short and long term impact on the child’s health. According to the world Health Organisation, the benefit of exclusive  breastfeeding is not only limited, to babies, the mothers too are also beneficiaries.
Research has proven that while children who are well breastfed have less severe  respiratory tract infections and diarrhea, their mothers have lower risk of becoming afflicted with breast cancer and type 2 diabetes. Moreso, for children born sick or prematurely, breast milk suffices as the only nutrition  during the first six months after which it could be supported with other  foods, especially  solid natural foods until the age of one.
From the work of Lesile Garisto Pfaff, in  parents magazine, we are made to know that babies are born social, hence, even in the first few weeks of life, infants prefer the sight of a human  face over that of any other object. Dr. Alison Steier, of early childhood development, in Phoenix corroborates the thought of Leslie Garisto Pfaff as he said that “babies are hardwired to be social creature constantly  observing and learning from people even when the observed are unconscious of it”.
From all available indications, parents, especially mothers have a lot to do to help build their newborns’ social skill, which  can mostly be achieved through the occasion provided by periods of breastfeeding Dr. Craig T. Ramsey, a co-author of Right from Birth, said” long before your baby  says his first  word, he is telling you what he needs hath his cries, coos, gurgles, flailing fists, smiles, and grimaces. If you coo or smile back at him in  the early months, you will teach him  that the  world is a friendly, happy place”. He explained that such will help instill in him a sense of trust, which is essential for getting along with others and ultimately forming friendships.
Proponents of  the baby-friendly initiative, no doubt acknowledged the fact that apart from the health implications of breastfeeding, the more tuned in parents are to their babies  emotions and interests, the faster the babies develop socially and cognitively. They knew that the only platform that can facilitate  this  achievement, is the one provided while breastfeeding, which not only encourages bonding between the child and mum, but also creates room for more and better  studies of each other  through the facial  contacts and non-verbal interactions.
Hence, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in  collaboration with UNICEF deemed it necessary to coopt the services of the hospitals and maternities in 1991, by using them as centres of breastfeeding support, believing that they will set a powerful example for new mothers.
According to reports, since the Breastfeeding Hospital Initiative  began, more  than 15,000 facilities in 134 countries of the world have been awarded  baby-friendly status, report further explains that in many countries where hospitals have been  designated baby-friendly, more mothers are breastfeeding their infants and child health has improved.
In all, new mothers cannot live all their lives in hospitals or maternities where they had their babies, what that means is that the mother must encourage the culture of exclusive  breastfeeding at home beyond  the hospital premises.
However, while it may be very easy for the housewife to faithfully breastfeed her child, the story is not same with  the working  class mother  whose days of total bonding with the child  at home is limited. Does this now mean an  abrupt  abortion of the exclusive  breastfeeding contract?
This juncture  of whether or not to continue  exclusive breastfeeding as a result of a need to resume one’s duty, has brought about various nomenclatures  ranging from workplace breastfeeding initiative, breastfeeding-friendly workplace

Sylvia ThankGod