By Eulalee Thompson 
By the time Jamaica's newborns are about
three months old, only about 38 per cent of their mothers are exclusively breastfeeding them.
BREASTFEEDING IS no longer a fashionable activity. Most mothers about 92 per cent of them start out gung ho about breastfeeding their newborns but by the time the baby is about three months old, only about 38 per cent of them are exclusively breastfeeding their babies.
In the 1990s about one-half of them were exclusively breastfeeding their young ones at three months, so health officials are extremely concerned about the fall-off and the growing unattractiveness of breastfeeding. They fear that the babies' nutritional status may be on the decline.
"Soya or cow's milk is the basis for milk formulae. Cow's milk is for cows; human milk is for babies and no matter what is added to cow's milk, human milk is definitely better than cow's milk. The make-up of fats, protein, lactose is different and various studies have shown that the nutrients in breast milk is adequate for the baby. Also, the colostrum (the secretion produced in the first few days after childbirth) has antibodies to fight against infection. We find therefore that breastfed babies have less problems with illnesses such as gastroenteritis," said Dr. Karen Lewis-Bell, director of Family Health Services.
But the fall-off in breastfeeding is not only a Jamaican concern statistics from around the world are also saying that more moms are not buying into the once-fashionable, "breast is best" slogan.
Internationally, based on World Health Organisation's (WHO's) data, only about 35 per cent of mothers are exclusively breastfeeding babies at four months old. In some African countries such as Nigeria and Senegal less than 10 per cent of mothers are exclusively breastfeeding babies four months and younger; European countries are hardly any better except for Sweden where the rates have been standing at 98 per cent since 1990.
The decline in breastfeeding cuts deeper than merely being unfashionable, there are some real socio-economic factors threatening the practice. Many mothers say for instance that they have to stop breastfeeding early because they have to go back to work.
Maternity leave, Dr. Lewis-Bell explained, runs for only 56 days in the public sector including weekends and public holidays. In the private sector, women may be allowed to stay away from work a little longer but a part of the leave is taken either without pay or at reduced pay.
"So if persons don't have vacation time or the financial means, then they have to go back to work in a short time. They go back to work not realising that they can express their milk and store it, so that the caregiver can feed the baby the milk from a cup and spoon. The mother doesn't have to be physically there, whoever is there can feed the baby from the spoon," she said.
Dr. Lewis-Bell also believes that not too much effort is expended in publicising the benefits, to mothers, of breastfeeding.
It is reported that breastfeeding assists the mother to regain her pre-pregnancy weight much earlier than if she had not breastfed; helps her to burn more calories fostering uterine contraction; assists in stopping post-delivery bleeding sooner; can be a form of contraception for the first three months after delivery if the baby is exclusively breastfed including at nights and is an excellent way for mother to bond with baby.
These reported benefits must be balanced against the challenges cracked nipples for example but Dr. Lewis-Bell said that training the mother to place baby's mouth on as much of the areola as possible will minimise this problem.
Mothers, she said, also need to be supported and encouraged by other family members.
92% A high percentage of mothers are excited about breastfeeding their newborns.
38% Only a low percentage of mothers breastfeed their three month old babies.
