Definition of breastfeeding according to unicef

When direct breastfeeding is not possible, expressed human milk, fortified when necessary for the premature infant, should be provided. Unicef and world health organisation who have issued 10 new guidelines to increase support for breastfeeding in health facilities that provide maternity and newborn services. No country in the world meets breastfeeding threshold. Breastfeed meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Data from nationally representative household surveys other than the mics and dhs are also included in the unicef global database if the data are collected, and indicators computed, using a similar. The initiative is a global effort for improving the role of maternity services to enable mothers to breastfeed babies. Its positive impacts can be seen not only on the infant, but also on the mother, the parents and, ultimately, the healthcare system. Sep 28, 2012 countryspecific estimates of exclusive breastfeeding rates are calculated according to the standard definition, specified by unicef and who. This is the tagline for the recently released universal campaign to promote breastfeeding.

Optimal breastfeeding of infants under two years of age has the greatest potential impact on child. Health professionals recommend that breastfeeding begin within the first hour of a babys life and continue as often and as much as the baby wants. General assembly established the united nations international childrens emergency fund unicef to further institutionalize postwar relief work. During this period, adolescents learn and develop knowledge and skills to deal with critical aspects of their health and development while their bodies mature. When a mother breastfeeds her baby, she feeds it with milk directly from her breasts rather than.

Breastfeeding is the best nutrition for all infants because of breast milks unique properties. Unicef definition of unicef by the free dictionary. Breastfeeding definition of breastfeeding by the free. According to studies cited by unicef, babies naturally follow a process which leads to a first breastfeed. Questioning current definitions for breastfeeding research. Furthermore, it is recommended that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired. Skintoskin contact is a key part of the unicef uk baby friendly initiative standards. Ideally, infants should be breastfed within one hour of birth, breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life and continue to be breastfed up to 2 years of age and beyond. World breastfeeding week, celebrated this year from 17 august, is an annual event highlighting the critical importance of breastfeeding for children across the globe.

Core indicators for infant and young child feeding practices. Naylor was a visionary and passionate leader who devoted her career to improving maternity care practices throughout the world to support breastfeeding and motherbaby bonding. Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. However, nearly 2 out of 3 infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6. Acceptable medical reasons for use of breastmilk substitutes. Breastfeed definition is to feed a baby from a mothers breast. Exclusive breastfeeding means that the infant receives only breast milk. Breastfeeding and complementary feeding nutrition unicef. Exclusive breastfeeding, though likely practiced widely in the distant past, was no longer traditional by the time the feasibility of giving it a blanket recommendation was discovered and reported on until that time, it was widely assumed that, at least in hot climates, breastfed babies needed additional water, so it was not possible to give a blanket recommendation to. Unicef works in more than 190 countries and territories to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere.

Manuel carballo, the selfdeclared impetus for setting the global public health campaign for breastfeeding in motion, breastfeeding is the only example in the history of the world health. It can also be a very satisfying experience for the motherbaby pair and encourage bonding. According to her, unicef has received support from the eu to assist the state implement. Follow unicef data and the unicef office of research on twitter. Key infant and young child feeding definitions popup. Making room for nursing mothers helps boost breastfeeding rates. Human milk is the preferred feeding for all infants, including premature and sick newborns, with rare exceptions.

There is not a single country in the world that meets the minimum support for breastfeeding mothers, according to the united nations childrens fund unicef and world health organization who. By focusing on these first 1,000 days, unicef has helped cut the number of children badly affected by stunting by nearly 100 million since 1990. Breastfeeding and breast milk provide an infant with calories and nutrients, including macronutrients fat, protein, and carbohydrates and micronutrients vitamins and. Breastfeeding protects against diarrhoea and common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, and may also have longerterm health benefits for the mother and child, such as reducing the risk of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence.

The research illustrates the extent to which mothers and babies worldwide are failed by a lack of investment in breastfeeding. When a woman breastfeeds her baby, she feeds it with milk from her breasts, rather than. Breastfeeding is widely recognized as the optimal way to feed a baby. Breast milk contains all the nutrients an infant needs in the first six months of life. Breastfeeding also benefits the mother by stimulating release of oxytocin, which causes involution of the uterus following pregnancy. Nevertheless, breastfeeding is a personal decision to be made by the mother with the support of health care providers. The evidence for action blog presents the latest insights and perspectives on data, research and policy, highlighting how unicef works to generate evidence and monitor the situation of the worlds most vulnerable children. According to her, unicef has received support from the eu to assist the state implement healthcare services under the project known as strengthening primary. Breastfeeding is a highly emotive subject in the uk because so many families have not breastfed, or have experienced the trauma of trying very hard to breastfeed and not succeeding. Breastfeeding aids in digestion and provides all the micronutrients and water a. For countriesareas with a supplementation programme. Unicefs gobi fff programs for a few years, the state of the world s children report had drawn worldwide attention to the fact that just four relatively simple and inexpensive methods could now enable parents themselves to have the rate of child deaths and save the lives of up to 20,000 children each day.

Unicef and who joint statement on hiv and infant feeding. Breastfeeding has many health benefits for both the mother and infant. Principles and recommendations for infant feeding in the context of hiv and a summary of evidence. Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the feeding of babies and young children with milk. This makes focus on newborn care more critical than ever before. A lack of exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life contributes. Breast milk gives a baby everything they need and costs only what it takes to feed the mother. In summary, who recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infants life. In this way, breastfeeding guarantees babies access to a reliable, sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Aug 06, 2011 according to unicef, only 38 percent of 0 to 5 month olds in the developing world are exclusively breastfed, just over half of 6 to 9 month olds are breastfed and given complementary foods, and 39 percent of 20 to 23 month olds are provided with continued breastfeeding. Breastfeeding in the uk baby friendly initiative unicef uk. Why familyfriendly policies are critical to increasing breastfeeding rates worldwide. Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants.

This means that rates of breastfeeding are affected more by the performance of countries with the largest number of births within that column. In western countries such as the united states, canada, and the united kingdom, extended breastfeeding is a taboo act. All mothers want to provide their children with the building blocks of a bright, healthy future. An accurate definition of breastfeeding will be complex. Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as an infants consumption of human milk with no supplementation of any type no. Global trends in exclusive breastfeeding international. To help babies get the best possible start in life, unicef and the world health organization have launched the global breastfeeding collective, which works with nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions and donors to educate mothers on the importance of breastfeeding and help. Thereafter, local, nutritious foods should be introduced, while breastfeeding continues for. It focuses on nutritional needs and feeding practices in children less than two years of age. Who exclusive breastfeeding for optimal growth, development. Relief rehabilitation administration to provide immediate relief to children and mothers affected by world war ii. The benefits of breastfeeding are physical, emotional, and economic.

This includes even premature and sick babies, with rare exceptions. The pain felt by so many parents at any implication that they have not done the best for their child can close down conversation. It helps the baby to adjust to life outside the womb and is highly important for supporting mothers to initiate breastfeeding and to develop a close, loving relationship with their baby. As mortality among children under five declines globally, deaths among these children are more and more concentrated in the first days of life. Breastfeeding also supports healthy brain development, higher educational achievement, and lowers the risk of obesity and other chronic diseases.

Breastfeeding is the practice of feeding an infant milk through the mothers breast. Elizabeth baldwin says in extended breastfeeding and the law, because our culture tends to view the breast as sexual, it can be hard for people to realize that breastfeeding is the natural way to nurture children. According to unicef, only 38 percent of 0 to 5 month olds in the. Guidelines and evaluation criteria babyfriendly usa. Using formative research to adapt global recommendations on hiv and infant feeding to the local context. Looking for online definition of unicef or what unicef stands for. There are many reasons for this but as far as im concerned, at a grass roots level. Ten steps to successful breastfeeding unicefwho baby. According to the american academy of pediatrics, human breast milk is preferred for all infants. Unicef targets this period with support for breastfeeding, nutritionrich foods for infants and micronutrient supplements. Breastfeeding gives children the healthiest start in life and is one of the simplest, smartest and most costeffective ways we have of ensuring that all children survive and thrive. Dec 21, 2018 exclusive breastfeeding is ideal nutrition and it is sufficient to support optimal growth and development for the first 6 months after birth, according to the american academy of pediatrics. It can also promote optimal growth and development, especially in the critical window from birth to 2 years of age.

The two agencies in collaboration with the global breastfeeding collective, launched the report to mark the commencement of the world breastfeeding week. Breastfeeding definition of breastfeeding by medical dictionary. Breastfeeding encyclopedia on early childhood development. Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the feeding of babies and young children with milk from a womans breast. Regarding exclusivity and patterns, two different definitions might need to be developed. Adolescence is a vulnerable phase in human development as it represents a transition from childhood to physical and psychological maturity.

According to several studies, improves cognitive development and intelligence. Proper feeding of infants and young children can increase their chances of survival. There is strong research support that breast milk is the most appropriate nourishment for most infants. As of november 2012, the ministry of women and child development, with unicef as a technical partner, have kicked off a nationwide campaign to promote exclusive breastfeeding to infants up to the age of six months one among a series of advisories it is issuing as part of an awareness program targeted at eradicating malnutrition in the country. According to its mission statement, unicef is mandated by the united nations general assembly to advocate for the protection of childrens rights, to help meet their basic needs, and to expand. Unicef synonyms, unicef pronunciation, unicef translation, english dictionary definition of unicef. Almost all mothers can breastfeed successfully, which includes initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of life, breastfeeding exclusively for the first 6 months and continuing breastfeeding along with giving appropriate complementary foods up to 2 years of age or beyond. It is the food least likely to cause allergic reactions. Breastfeeding definition of breastfeeding by medical. This set of indicators provides i an update of the 1991 who and unicef indicators on breastfeeding practices and ii a broad set of indicators to assess, for the first time, feeding practices in children aged 6 to 23 months. As agreed by who and unicef,4 the operational definition of indicator 5. Breastfeeding protects against diarrhoea and common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, and may also have longerterm health benefits for the mother and child, such as reducing the risk of overweight and obesity in childhood and. Breastfeeding creates a special bond between mother and baby and the interaction between the mother and child during breastfeeding has positive repercussions for life, in terms of stimulation, behaviour, speech, sense of wellbeing and security and how the child relates to other people.

It is difficult to obtain accurate information and statistics. Unicef is listed in the worlds largest and most authoritative dictionary database of abbreviations and acronyms. Adolescent girls, especially younger girls, are particularly vulnerable because they face the. Breastfeeding, with its many known health benefits for infants, children, and mothers, is a key strategy to improve public health. The american academy of pediatrics recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months with continued breastfeeding alongside introduction of complementary foods for at least 1 year. The baby friendly hospital initiative bfhi, also known as baby friendly initiative bfi, is a worldwide programme of the world health organization and unicef, launched in 1992 in india following the adoption of the innocenti declaration on breastfeeding promotion in 1990.

Deaths in the first month of life, which are mostly preventable, represent 47 per cent of total deaths among children under five. Unicef is the successor of the international childrens emergency fund icef, created in 1946 by the u. Communitybased strategies for breastfeeding promotion and support in. Update on dissemination and use of new and revised hiv and infant feeding publications. This document brings together essential knowledge about infant and young child feeding that health professionals should acquire. Aug 02, 2017 there is not a single country in the world that meets the minimum support for breastfeeding mothers, according to the united nations childrens fund unicef and world health organization who. Skin to skin contact is a key part of the unicef uk baby friendly initiative standards.

The practices to be followed in breastfeeding a baby. United nations childrens fund n acronym for united nations childrens fund. Breastfeeding, also called nursing, is the process of feeding a mothers breast milk to her infant, either directly from the breast or by expressing pumping out the milk from the breast and bottlefeeding it to the infant. According to unicef, only 38 percent of 0 to 5 month olds in the developing world are exclusively breastfed, just over half of 6 to 9 month olds are breastfed and given complementary foods, and 39 percent of 20 to 23 month olds are provided with continued breastfeeding. Clearly prospective methods are likely to be more accurate but are too expensive to use in most largescale surveys.

Lack of optimal breast feeding in developing countries. The world health organization and unicef recommendations on breastfeeding are as follows. Mar 09, 2019 how mothers can care their babies best video for moms breastfeeding advantages definition of breastfeeding according to unicef s. Information and translations of breastfeeding in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as feeding an infant with only breast milk. Ten facts on breastfeeding unicefwho babyfriendly hospital. Countryspecific estimates of exclusive breastfeeding rates are calculated according to the standard definition, specified by unicef and who. Thereafter, local, nutritious foods should be introduced, while breastfeeding continues for up to two years or beyond. Accurate measurement of the duration of exclusive breastfeeding is complicated by factors related to definitions, timing, duration of recall, methods of analysis, and sample biases. Breastfeeding gives children everywhere a healthy start in. Skintoskin contact baby friendly initiative unicef uk.