Breastfeeding Week launched…The fact that breast milk is the safest, most natural and nutritious food that a mother can provide her baby, was emphasised by National Breast Feeding Co-ordinator, Mrs Ninian Blair, when National Breast Feeding Week 2009 was launched at the West Demerara Regional Hospital yesterday.The annual observance is being held under the theme ‘Breastfeeding: a vital emergency response. Are you ready?’ According to Blair, the theme this year is of utmost importance as it focuses on supporting breastfeeding before, during and after an emergency occurs.“In the challenging and risky environment of an emergency,Cheap Adidas Neo Australia, how infants are fed is key to their survival. Therefore,Wholesale Jordan Shoes From China, having a plan of support in place before an emergency happens is essential.”A family, she stressed can experience an emergency at any time,Scarpe Nike Nuove, among them fire, flood, a collapsed home, other natural disasters in a community or even if the breadwinner loses a job. The World Health Organisation and UNICEG according to Blair, recommend that babies be breastfed within the first hour of birth and receive exclusive breastfeeding until six months of age.Mrs Ninian Blair (right) presents a token to a couple and their newborn baby“Give babies breast milk alone! This means no water, juice, porridges, etc. and continued breastfeeding for two years or beyond is even more critical in emergencies,Cheap Womens Nike Shox,” Blair noted.She related that in any emergency situation, mothers need to be secure and have priority access to food for the family, water, shelter and most importantly, safe places to breastfeed as breastfeeding is indeed the best start to life any child can receive.Breastfeeding according to Blair, “is a safety net when a disaster strikes and is life-saving for babies in a critical situation since it is the one safe and secure source of food and fluid for infants. It is instantly available, provides active protection against illnesses, keeps an infant warm and close to his/her mother and it also reduces the risk of mothers bleeding severely after giving birth, which is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide,” said Blair.Blair further highlighted that those children who are exclusively breastfed from birth to six months and continuously up to two years with appropriate complementary foods, tend to be healthier, smarter and more productive.As such, she noted that exclusive breastfeeding tops the chart of life-saving interventions for newborns even as she opined that babies who do not breastfeed exclusively are six times more likely to die from diarrheoa or respiratory infections.During the first six months, complementary liquids and food given to infants can expose them to infectious diseases which can have a negative impact on their growth and development.For this reason, Blair divulged that in Guyana, the Infant Young Child Feeding initiative is a major part of the National Nutrition Strategy which indicates government’s commitment to improve infant feeding practices, the most outstanding being breastfeeding.“Babies have a right to be breastfed and women should be supported and encouraged to nurse their babies. Mothers cannot do it alone, they need the help and support of everyone,Cheap Shoes Outlet, nurses, doctors, families and other members of their communities. We all need to play our part to ensure that breastfeeding is promoted,Nike Tanjun Mens, protected and supported,” Blair emphasised.The importance of the support from fathers and other family members was especially stressed by Region Three Breastfeeding Co-ordinator, Mrs Savatri Chandrabose, who pointed to the fact that mothers must be encouraged and supported to commit to exclusively breastfeeding their babies.The breastfeeding week of activities kicked off with a church service which was officiated by Pastor Rickford Huntley. Regional Chairman, Julius Faerber, officially launched the activities which will continue today with an exhibition.As part of the launch yesterday, several mothers with their newborn babies were presented with tokens.