Isulong ang BREASTFEEDING: Tama, Sapat at Eksklusibo!

Part of the nationwide celebration of the 37th Nutrition Month this July 2011 in the city of Dipolog, capital of the province of Zamboanga del Norte in the Southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

The theme is:
Isulong ang BREASTFEEDING: Tama, Sapat at Eksklusibo!


The theme, which focuses on the promotion of breastfeeding, includes 3 sub-messages:

Tama, which means skin-to-skin contact immediately within the first hour after birth and proper positioning.   


Sapat, which means that little breast milk is enough for the first few weeks and that frequent breastfeeding ensures continuous breast milk production.


Eksklusibo, which means that only breast milk and no other liquid should be given to the baby for the first six months.


A look at the breastfeeding situation in the Philippines based on a 2008 study (from here):

Other reasons for focusing on the promotion of breastfeeding in the Philippines- or anywhere! (from here):

• Babies who were not breastfed in the first 6 months of their lives are 25 times more likely to die than those who experienced exclusive breastfeeding from the time they were born.

• The timing of initiation of breastfeeding is important as there is a higher risk of death among infants with longer delay in the initiation of breastfeeding.

• Hospitalized low birth weight Infants who were fed with formula milk had 4 times the incidence of serious illness compared to those infants who were breastfed.

• There is a 2-4 fold increase in neonatal mortality rate (NMR) in not receiving colostrum.  There is a 5-13% decrease in NMR with exclusive breastfeeding.

• Breastfeeding not only saves babies from death, but also provides long-term benefits.  Breastfed babies do better in school cognitive tests by as much as 4.9 points.  There is a positive association of breastfeeding with educational attainment.

Check out a facebook page promoting the theme here.

Isulong ang BREASTFEEDING: Tama, Sapat at Eksklusibo!