Breastfeeding

• Breastfeeding is a natural and essential process that provides infants with optimal nutrition and numerous health benefits
• Breastfeeding impacts families, communities, and the economy in the country
• Inadequate breastfeeding in the Philippines annually results in various consequences
• Legal rights that support breastfeeding include:

  • Republic Act No. 10028: Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009
  • Executive Order No. 51: The Milk Code
  • Republic Act No. 7600: The Rooming-In and Breastfeeding Act of 1992
• Programs implemented in the Philippines regarding breastfeeding:

  • Executive Order 51: The Milk Code
  • Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act: RA 10028
  • Local Government Initiatives: Community Awareness
  • Department of Health (DOH) Campaigns
  • Lactation Facilities and Support in Public Spaces
• Different types of breast milk feeding:

  • Direct breastfeeding
  • Pumped breast milk feeding
  • Induced lactation
  • Relactation
  • Donor milk feeding
• Proper breastfeeding positions include:

  • Cradle Hold
  • Cross-cradle hold
  • Football hold or Rugby Hold
  • Side Lying Position
  • Reclining Position
• Burping is a part of the breastfeeding routine with signs to look for and different ways to burp the baby
• Breastfeeding benefits include postpartum recovery, weight loss, convenience, cost-effectiveness, reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer, nutritional benefits, digestive health, cognitive health, immune system support, and bonding and emotional development
• Breastfeeding challenges and how to overcome them:

  • Latch Issues
  • Low Milk Supply
  • Breast Engorgement
  • Breastfeeding Position
• Breastfeeding restrictions and considerations for a nutritious diet during breastfeeding
• Fish high in Mercury content can have implications for breastfeeding mothers and infants
• The use of herbs, spices, and herbal supplements during breastfeeding
• Herbal supplements are not regulated by the FDA in the United States
• Herbal supplements may be contaminated with potentially dangerous heavy metals
• It's best to consult with a healthcare provider before trying out a supplement
• Abstaining from alcohol is the safest option during breastfeeding
• Alcohol in breast milk peaks 30–60 minutes after the last drink
• Alcohol can remain in the system for up to 2–3 hours
• Frequent, excessive alcohol intake during breastfeeding is linked to disrupted sleep patterns, delay in psychomotor skills, and cognitive delay later in life
• To meet the increased nutrient demands of breastfeeding, it's important to eat a healthy, balanced diet
• Limit intake of highly processed foods like fast food, takeaway, and junk food
• Smoking tobacco or e-cigarettes during breastfeeding is a risk factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other respiratory illnesses in infants and children
• Chemicals found in tobacco, including nicotine, can be passed from a breastfeeding mother to her infant through breast milk
• Smoking decreases maternal milk supply
• Assessment of breastfeeding technique is important
• Monitoring infant weight is crucial
• Assessing signs of effective feeding is necessary
• Assistance with latching is essential
• Assessment of maternal comfort is important
• Monitoring for engorgement or plugged ducts is necessary
• Supporting emotional well-being is crucial
• Education on milk supply is important
• Documenting feeding patterns is necessary
• UNICEF's 10 steps for successful breastfeeding include complying with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, ensuring staff have sufficient knowledge to support breastfeeding, discussing importance and management of breastfeeding with pregnant women, facilitating skin-to-skin contact, supporting mothers to initiate and maintain breastfeeding, avoiding providing breastfed newborns food or fluids other than breast milk, enabling rooming-in 24 hours a day, supporting mothers to recognize and respond to infants' feeding cues, counseling on the use and risks of feeding bottl
• Breastfeeding should begin after childbirth
• Infants should be exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months, then continue breastfeeding while introducing complementary foods until 12 months old or older
• Breast milk production begins in the second trimester of pregnancy, around the 16th week
• Breastfeeding should not be painful if done correctly
• There are myths related to breastfeeding, such as washing nipples before breastfeeding, babies who have been breastfed being clingy, small breasts not producing as much milk as large ones, breastfeeding always hurting, and the necessity to drink milk to produce breast milk