New study emphasizes on the need for humanitarian aid groups to be trained in safe infant and young child feeding protocols. The study conducted by the University of Georgia, following the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, emphasizes the need for emergency response organizations to support safe feeding, especially when breast-feeding is the cultural norm, as it is in Nepal.
In the wake of a natural disaster, displaced families face a number of hardships that may lead to poor health and nutrition. In these conditions, babies and mothers are particularly vulnerable, but their unique feeding needs are often overlooked in disaster relief efforts.
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‘As a simple intervention it is important to ask mothers if they are breast-feeding, if they say yes it is advisable to not give them formula.’
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Researchers travelled to several earthquake relocation camps six months after the earthquake, where they interviewed new mothers about their experiences feeding their babies. The team was particularly interested in how well breast-feeding was supported in the camps.
Exclusive breast-feeding is recognized as the safest form of infant feeding for babies under 6 months old. Breast milk is a complete nutrition source, keeps the baby hydrated and provides natural immune system support, which is crucial to infant health in the often-crowded conditions of post-disaster shelters.
![Breast-Feeding Not More Beneficial Than Bottle-Feeding: Research]( "Breast-Feeding Not More Beneficial Than Bottle-Feeding: Research")
Breast-feeding might be no more beneficial than bottle-feeding for 10 of 11 long-term health and well-being outcomes in children age 4 to 14, finds a new study comparing siblings who were fed differently during infancy.
Alternative feeding through formula can be dangerous for babies, and the World Health Organization recommends against mass formula distribution in emergencies. But the team found that emergency responders were handing out formula without assessment or lactation support.
"Uncontrolled, untargeted formula distribution is very unsafe," said Sarah E. DeYoung, an assistant professor of health policy and management in UGA's College of Public Health and lead author on the study. "In the post-disaster setting where you have people living in relocation camps, there's usually not access to clean water or appropriate supplies to clean and sterilize bottles."
Feeding bottles can easily be contaminated with bacteria, leading to serious health consequences and even death for infants.
"Unfortunately, it's a rampant problem in the post-disaster context," said DeYoung. "Groups bring formula and hand it to everyone without asking, and then mothers have this perception that bottle feeding is the thing to do because they're receiving formula in their humanitarian packets."
Exclusive breast-feeding is far less common in the United States-only 19 percent-compared to the global average of 40 percent and 70 percent in Nepal.
Well-meaning people in the U.S. often donate baby formula without knowing that formula feeding can cause harm.
"They want to help because babies are so vulnerable," said DeYoung, "but they're just ill-informed."
"The simple, low-tech intervention is asking mothers, are you breast-feeding? If they say yes and it's going well, don't give them formula," she said, and if formula is necessary, the appropriate education and support needs to be in place to ensure the baby's nutrition and safety.
Source: Eurekalert
Breast-Feeding Not More Beneficial Than Bottle-Feeding: Research
Breast-feeding might be no more beneficial than bottle-feeding for 10 of 11 long-term health and well-being outcomes in children age 4 to 14, finds a new study comparing siblings who were fed differently during infancy.
Advertisement
Alternative feeding through formula can be dangerous for babies, and the World Health Organization recommends against mass formula distribution in emergencies. But the team found that emergency responders were handing out formula without assessment or lactation support.
"Uncontrolled, untargeted formula distribution is very unsafe," said Sarah E. DeYoung, an assistant professor of health policy and management in UGA's College of Public Health and lead author on the study. "In the post-disaster setting where you have people living in relocation camps, there's usually not access to clean water or appropriate supplies to clean and sterilize bottles."
Feeding bottles can easily be contaminated with bacteria, leading to serious health consequences and even death for infants.
"Unfortunately, it's a rampant problem in the post-disaster context," said DeYoung. "Groups bring formula and hand it to everyone without asking, and then mothers have this perception that bottle feeding is the thing to do because they're receiving formula in their humanitarian packets."
Exclusive breast-feeding is far less common in the United States-only 19 percent-compared to the global average of 40 percent and 70 percent in Nepal.
Well-meaning people in the U.S. often donate baby formula without knowing that formula feeding can cause harm.
"They want to help because babies are so vulnerable," said DeYoung, "but they're just ill-informed."
"The simple, low-tech intervention is asking mothers, are you breast-feeding? If they say yes and it's going well, don't give them formula," she said, and if formula is necessary, the appropriate education and support needs to be in place to ensure the baby's nutrition and safety.
Source: Eurekalert
Hair Samples Prove Infants Exposure to Anti-HIV Drugs in Womb, Breast-feeding
Hair and blood samples from three-month-old infants born to HIV-positive mothers surprisingly show exposure, both in the womb and from breast-feeding, to the antiretroviral drugs.
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 Hospital Support for Breast-feeding Not Enough in US: CDCThough studies show breast feeding improves children's health most US hospitals fall short of international guidelines for helping new mothers breast-feed, officials said Tuesday. | Advertisement
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