In accord with the intent of World Breastfeeding Week (Aug. 1-7, 2007) to draw attention to the importance and values of breastfeeding, I submit the following:
“When a mother holds her newborn on the skin of her bosom, the infant feels her with his cheek and in a rooting reflex turns toward her breasts: he licks them and thereby colonizes helpful bacteria on her nipple, and then he may suckle, obtaining a first milk—colostrum—which is very healthy for the infant.” W. D. Virtue, Mother and Infant, 1995, 236.
Breastfeeding: The 1st Hour
The early initiation of breastfeeding is so important that this is the theme for World Breastfeeding Week. The goal of starting the breastfeeding within one hour after birth is to save more than one million babies. This is the first and most vital step towards reducing infant and under-five mortality by reducing the overwhelmingly high neonatal mortality rate in some parts of the world.
There are essentially two goals: 1) to save children’s lives by having the baby breastfeed within the first hour of life, and 2) to promote immediate skin-to-skin contact of mother and baby. The latter is an important factor for the successful initiation of breastfeeding because it restores the connection between mother and baby once the baby is out of the womb. A recent study concluded that “very early skin-to-skin contact enhanced breastfeeding success during the early postpartum period.” (Moore, Anderson, Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 2007, 52(2): 116-125)
In addition, starting to breastfeed in the first hour of life is associated with increased rates of exclusive breastfeeding and longer duration of breastfeeding.
Why is breastfeeding so important the first hour after birth?
Researchers in rural Ghana, where early initiation of breastfeeding was not the norm, found that babies who started to breastfed in the first hour of life were more likely to survive the neonatal period than those who did not (Edmond et al, 2006).
• Babies who did not start breastfeeding until after 24 hours of age were 2.5 times more likely to die than babies who started within the first hour of life, whether they were partially or exclusively breastfed.
In this Ghana study, 30% of babies were fed solids or other milk before one month of age. These infants were 4 times more likely to die than babies who were exclusively breastfed.
Conclusions:
For rural Ghana:
• 16% of newborn deaths could be prevented if newborns were breastfed exclusively from day one.
• 22% of newborn deaths could be prevented if newborns initiated breastfeeding within one hour of birth. (Edmond K et al (2006) Delayed Breastfeeding Initiation Increases Risk of Neonatal Mortality. Pediatrics, 117:380-386
Edmond KM, Bard EC, Kirkwood BA. Meeting the child survival millennium development goal. How many lives can we save by increasing coverage of early initiation of breastfeeding? Poster presentation at the Child Survival Countdown Conference, London UK. December 2005. )
Most child deaths are caused by diarrhea and respiratory illness which are more common and more serious with suboptimal breastfeeding. About 40% of childhood deaths occur in the first month of life. Breastfeeding in the first hour could reduce newborn deaths and increasing optimal breastfeeding could reduce overall child mortality.
Some Specific Objectives:
• To mobilize the world to the potential for saving ONE million babies starting with ONE simple action: allowing the baby to initiate breastfeeding in the first hour of life
• To promote immediate skin-to-skin contact of the mother and baby and continuing with exclusive breastfeeding for six months
• To ensure that families know how important a baby’s first hour is, so that they can make sure that their babies are given this opportunity
The Remarkable First Hour of Life
When healthy infants are placed skin-to-skin on their mother’s abdomen and chest immediately after birth, they exhibit remarkable capabilities. They are alert. They can crawl, stimulated by mother’s gentle touch, across her abdomen, reaching her breast. They begin to touch and massage the breast. This first gentle touch of a baby’s hand or head at the breast stimulates release of maternal oxytocin, thus beginning both the flow of milk and enhancing the feelings of love for the baby. Then the baby smells, mouths and licks the mother’s nipple. Finally, he or she attaches to the breast and feeds. This sequence of events is important for the survival of human young.
Optimal breastfeeding
The WHO/UNICEF Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding recommends that children breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months of life, and then continue breastfeeding with adequate complementary food up to 2 years or beyond. Normal initiation of breastfeeding in the first minutes to first hour of life begins with skin-to-skin contact, and helps mothers and infants to achieve optimal breastfeeding. Breastfeeding within the first hour after delivery helps to ensure child survival. Women have a right to this knowledge and to receive the support that they need to initiate breastfeeding accordingly.
For more information, go to the World Breastfeeding Week website.
Thus the message is this: Nurse your baby in the first hour of life or as soon as possible.
Sheila Kippley
NFP International
www.NFPandMore.org
Author: Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood (Sophia, 2005)
Natural Family Planning:The Question-Answer Book (e-book
at this website, 2005)