How breastfeeding education helps UAE moms give babies their best start in life

How breastfeeding education helps UAE moms give babies their best start in life

Lactation consultants spread awareness among new parents

Published: Wed 3 Aug 2022, 1:17 PM Last updated: Wed 3 Aug 2022, 2:10 PM

Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week, new mothers share how healthcare workers from in the UAE hospitals played a key role in helping them breastfeed and offer benefits for life to their babies.

According to the WHO, breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. Breastfed children perform better on intelligence tests, are less likely to be overweight or obese and less prone to diabetes later in life. Globally, nearly 2 out of 3 infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6 months – a rate that has not improved in 2 decades.

Lactation consultants of UAE’s private hospitals noted there are still several barriers to breastfeeding, like inadequate knowledge, lack of awareness of the techniques to help the baby to latch and suck the milk. However, the healthcare workers continue to create awareness among the new parents, which is in line with this year’s World Breastfeeding Week theme: ‘Step up for breastfeeding: Educate and Support’.

Feeding the baby isn’t a concern now

Vijay Lakshmi Mishra, a 33-year-old mother of two daughters, recalled how feeding her first child was