The rationale for adopting current international breastfeeding guidelines in South Africa

Abstract

Current international breastfeeding guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, followed by the appropriate and adequate introduction of complementary foods at 6 months, with continued breastfeeding for 2 years and beyond. This guideline is based on evidence to support exclusive and extended breastfeeding as the optimal method of feeding infants and young children. Not only do these breastfeeding practices meet the nutrition needs of infants and children for optimal growth and development, but they also offer a host of other health and socio-economic benefits at all levels of society. The poor breastfeeding rates and increase in infant and child morbidity and mortality in South Africa have led to increased prioritized attention towards the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding. In 2000, the National Department of Health formally adopted the international breastfeeding guidelines for exclusive and extended breastfeeding practices. Therefore, it remains a priority to implement these guidelines in all current and future breastfeeding programmes and interventions, including the South African paediatric food-based dietary guidelines.

Efficient fluorescence detection of aromatic toxicants and toxicant metabolites in human breast milk

“…One biological fluid that is particularly important is human breast milk, which is a vital source of nutrition for nursing children, and provides developmental, immunological and physiological benefits to both the child and mother. 39–40,41,42,43 Because PAHs are lipophilic, they are stored in maternal body fat, released into the breast milk with the onset of lactation, and passed directly to the child. 44 In fact, both non-polar PAHs and oxidized PAH metabolites have been found in the breast milk of individuals living in highly polluted areas.…”

Perceptions related to breastfeeding and the early introduction of complementary foods amongst migrants in Cape Town, South Africa

“…Rather, food and water tend to be introduced relatively early, in parallel with continued breastfeeding. Infant feeding practices in South Africa differ from the rest of Africa, as breastfeeding rates are very low [ 5 , 6 ] and use of commercial infant milk (hereafter referred to as formula ) is normative.…”

“…Breastfeeding practices in South Africa are likely to influence migrants in South Africa. In South Africa, rates of exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months of age are extremely low and estimated to be between 7% [ 5 ] and 10% [ 6 ], in comparison to exclusive breastfeeding rates in DR Congo (37%), Somalia (9%), and Zimbabwe (31%) [ 15 ]. Qualitative studies that focused on the perspectives of South African lactating mothers highlighted these very low rates of exclusive breastfeeding, lack of understanding of what ‘exclusive breastfeeding’ means, widespread perception of breastmilk inadequacy, and the early introduction of complementary foods [ 16 – 18 ].…”

Testing an Incentive-Based and Community Health Worker Package Intervention to Improve Maternal Health and Nutrition Outcomes: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Exclusive breastfeeding is often promoted in resource-poor environments due to its health benefits and the fact that it decreases exposure to poor hygiene and sanitation conditions (Kramer & Kakuma, 2012;Meyer et al, 2007). Exclusive breastfeeding has been positively linked to decreased neonatal mortality (Doherty et al, 2014;Edmond et al, 2006), reduced incidence of infectious diseases (Arifeen et al, 2001;Jones et al, 2003) and reduced neonatal sepsis (Jones et al, 2003).…”