To mark World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), healthcare providers in the country are hosting a number of virtual events and activities to encourage and advocate the practice.
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Sidra Medicine join the global community to highlight the significant health benefits of breastfeeding.
“Due to the pandemic and in order to follow safety protocols, there has been a change in approach regarding how we would usually mark the occasion with the community. Like our partners in health, our initiatives will be via social media whereby we will be sharing key messages about the importance of breastfeeding and in support of this year’s theme,” said Judith Downey, Clinical Nurse Manager at Sidra Medicine.
“We are planning a webinar on certain topic — details of which will be confirmed at a later date and found on events.sidra.org,” said Judith, who also supervises the Lactation Services at Sidra Medicine.
World Breastfeeding Week, which falls annually from August 1 to 7, is a global event to raise awareness and to inspire action on themes related to breastfeeding.
This year’s call to action or theme is ‘Support Breastfeeding for a Healthier Planet.’ It is about the impact of infant feeding on the environment and the imperative outcome to protect, promote and support breastfeeding for the health of the planet and its people.
“The interconnected nature of people and the planet requires that we find sustainable solutions that benefit both. Breastfeding is one of the best investment solutions for saving infant lives and includes multiple benefits including improving the health, social and economic development of individuals globally and it is also friendly to the environment,” said Judith.
Prompting breastfeeding amid COVID-19 is challenging due to the general concern about safety of the child, though, evidence as to date suggests that the risk of the newborn acquiring the coronavirus infection during the birth is low and also when exclusively breastfeeding.
“At Sidra Medicine, we adhere to the “rooming in policy” which is not separating the mothers and babies. Newborns remain with their mothers for the entire hospital stay. Mothers can even stay in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care setting) if their child is there. Sidra Medicine also does not treat COVID-19 patients and all inpatients and their companions are tested for the virus before they are admitted. We also have a series of guidelines to maintain the safety of our patients, their families and our staff. This means that we are not allowing any visitors during this time, apart from a pre-selected companion (who along with the mother is tested for COVID-19),” said Judith.
She also highlighted that Qatar’s role in encouraging breast feeding is very ‘encouraging.’
“It is very encouraging that the government in Qatar recognises the importance of raising awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding. As a matter of fact, Qatar has incorporated it into its National Health Strategy for 2022, aiming to increase breastfeeding rates to 15 percent at six months — as a priority initiative under its Healthy Children and Adolescent programme,” said Judith.
“Raising awareness is based on collaboration with the wider healthcare network and engaging the community, especially mothers. It is also beneficial for employers to be a part of this awareness, as their support is also crucial in putting in place policies, lactation rooms and other measures for breastfeeding mothers,” she added.
Judith emphasised on fathers’ role when it comes to breastfeeding and said, “Fathers have a profound effect on breastfeeding and the well-being of both their wife and their child.”
According to available data, a 2012 study conducted by government healthcare entities says that just 29 percent of mothers breastfeed in Qatar during the first six months of an infant’s life, while worldwide the average rate is 37 percent.
