Melamine scare leads to more nursing

VietNamNet Bridge – Until recently, young mothers often chose to feed their newborns with powdered infant formula, but since the melamine contamination scare many women have chosen to breast-feed their babies.

Mother nature provides: After a recent tainted milk scandal, breast-feeding is increasing among young mothers.

“I have to eat traditional Vietnamese food such as green papaya and pig’s trotter soup every day. It is very difficult for me to eat the soup, but for the health of my baby I try to eat it all in hopes I will have breast milk for my newborn,” said Thuy Linh.

Linh believes that the traditional recipe has allowed her to produce breast milk for her son. “It’s much more convenient and hygienic to feed my child with breast milk since we don’t have to clean milk bottles, which can cause diarrhoea and many other ailments in newborns if contaminated,” she says.

Linh’s friend Thanh Huyen says her mother has encouraged her to raise her newborn with breast milk and has cooked dishes like chicken soup with herbs, which are supposed to encourage lactation.

Linh, Huyen and several other young mothers were invited to attend a medical seminar titled Gold Standards of Infant Nutrition, which was held in Ha Noi yesterday by Mead Johnson Nutritional Viet Nam and the National Paediatric Association. At the meeting, local doctors discussed the role of breast milk in infant development as well as alternative sources of nutrition for babies whose mothers are unable to breastfeed.

Dr Pheng Soon Lee, Medical Director of Mead Johnson Asia, presented information which confirmed that breast milk is the “gold-standard” in many aspects of infant development, from brain and visual acuity to immunity and overall growth in the first year. It also provides other long-term benefits such as lowering the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The benefits of breast milk are well-know among health care practitioners; the WHO suggests mothers breast-feed for at least six months after giving birth. At the seminar, there was also a presentation which explained the link between breast milk quality and nutrients in the mother’s diet. Doctors explained that high-quality breast milk has been shown to correlate to high mental performance in infants.

Professor Nguyen Cong Khanh, Vice Chairmain of the National Paediatric Association said, “We all know breast milk is the best nutritional option for infants and that all State-owned hospitals are baby-friendly in Viet Nam.

Keeping in mind the updated information on the benefits of breast milk discussed today, Healthcare practitioners should try harder to encourage breast-feeding, advise mothers on proper nutrition during lactation and highlight the nutritional needs of infants.

“Although maternity leave in Viet Nam is rather long, usually 4 months, most young mothers in urban areas don’t breast-feed their children for the first 6 months, as recommended. Improper nutrition, work pressure and a lack of support from their family also puts stress on lactating moms, especially first-time mothers, which in turn impacts their milk production,” said Dr Khanh.

According to a survey by the Institute of Nutrition in 2006, 90 per cent of mothers in Viet Nam breast-fed right after giving birth, but only 19 per cent of them continued breast feeding after their child turned six months.

“The percentage may increase among young mothers after the melamine contamination scandal,” a doctor from the institute told Viet Nam News.

(Source: Viet Nam News)

Update from: http://english.vietnamnet.vn//social/2008/11/812885/

Related posts:
-  Melamine scare: consumers prefer Vietnamese milk products
-  More elderly opt for luxury nursing homes
-  Tainted milk scare panics local consumers
-  Vinamilk says its products safe amid toxic milk scare
-  Short supply leads to pricier veggies