Infant Feeding in Emergencies
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BABY-FRIENDLY, EVEN IN EMERGENCIES
Breastfeeding corners: a supportive environment for breastfeeding mothers with low birth weight babies
Breastfeeding corners: a supportive environment for breastfeeding mothers with low
birth weight babies.
In 1998 in western Tanzania, Baby Friendly strategies were applied and support to all lactating mothers was provided, in refugee camps where some 83,000 Burundian Hutus were sheltering.
Breastfeeding corners, built of poles and plastic sheeting, were erected as close as possible to the maternity units in the refugee camps. Straw mats were spread on the plastic sheet flooring for the mothers to sit on. As much as possible, efforts were made not to make it look very different from their home environment. Necessary equipment such as cups, jugs, buckets, basins to bathe babies, weighing scales and so on were acquired. Breastfeeding information materials in the appropriate language were provided for use in the "corners". Specially trained breastfeeding corner assistants collaborated closely with the community workers and the feeding programme staff. Promoting exclusive breastfeeding among the low birth weight infants, the corners provided support to all lactating mothers as soon as possible after giving birth.
Source: Tanzania Baby Friendly Refugee Camps, by Zohra Lukmanji, IBFAN Africa News, September/October 1998 |
Baby-friendly emergency shelters allow interaction with mothers
In Honduras, the principles of BFHI were adopted for use in shelters housing victims of the devastating Hurricane Mitch in October 1998.
"The most important component of the project was the opportunity for interaction with mothers. Mothers, grandmothers and caregivers could meet one-to-one with breastfeeding counsellors."
Adriana Hernandez, Assistant Programme Officer for UNICEF Honduras. (BFHI News, UNICEF, September /October 1999). Once the crisis ended, participating health centres and volunteers received diplomas from health authorities to acknowledge the importance of their work.
Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding
Every facility providing maternity services and care for newborn infants should:
1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
2. Train all health care staff in skills
necessary to implement this policy.
3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding
within an hour of birth.
5. Show mothers how to breastfeed, and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from
their infants.
6. Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breastmilk, unless medically indicated.
7. Practise rooming-in - that is, allow mothers and infants to remain together - 24 hours a day.
8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
9. Give no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants.
10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge
from the hospital or clinic.
Source: Protecting, Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding: The Special Role of Maternity Services, a joint WHO/UNICEF statement published by the World Health Organization.
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