‘Closing the Gap. Breastfeeding Support for All’ is the theme of World Breastfeeding Week 2024, which is celebrated in Italy from 1 to 7 October and which this year focuses on the need to improve breastfeeding support to reduce inequalities existing in our society, with particular attention to times of emergencies and crises. “In the last 12 years, the number of children under the age of six months exclusively breastfed has increased by more than 10%. This means that 48% of newborns worldwide benefit from it (WHO – Unicef data), with hundreds of thousands of lives saved thanks to breastfeeding. Breast milk represents, in fact, a ‘precious shield’ that protects the little ones, not only in the first months, but throughout their life, reducing, for example, the incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, from hypertension to diabetes”. The Italian Society of Neonatology (Sin) reiterates this in a note
The benefits of breastfeeding, however, go beyond physical health. “Representing an element of continuity between the maternal uterus and the outside world, it favors the symbiosis between mother and baby, who finds in mother’s milk something very similar, in composition, consistency and smell, to amniotic fluid”, adds Sin . “In these days we reiterate what is recommended by the WHO, namely the importance of guaranteeing exclusive breastfeeding at least for the first six months of life and our commitment to eliminating the many obstacles (gaps) that still exist”, states Luigi Orfeo, president of the Sin. “We need, in fact, a better family and work support network, but also the possibility of ‘rooming-in’ the baby – he adds – together with the mother in all hospitals, to encourage a good start to breastfeeding from the first moments. Even today, unfortunately, at least one structure in three does not allow it or allows it only partially”.
Precisely with the aim of increasing the rate of breastfeeding in hospital, Sis, which has always been at the forefront for the promotion and support of breastfeeding, has launched the Company Policy on Breastfeeding (Paa) project, which has already been joined 62 Healthcare Companies, with a total of 108 Birth Points, belonging to 14 out of 21 Italian Regions and/or Autonomous Provinces.
The scientific societies that deal with perinatal care and the National Federations of midwives and nurses participate in the three-year project, which will be completed in mid-2025, and specifically: the Italian Society of Neonatology (Sins), the Italian Society of Paediatrics ( Sip), the Italian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Sigo), the Italian Society of Pediatric Nutrition (Sinupe), the Association of Italian Hospital Obstetricians-Gynecologists (Aogoi), the National Federation of Orders of the Midwifery Profession (Fnopo), the Federation National Association of Nursing Professions (Fnopi), the Italian Society of Nursing Neonatology (Sin inf), the Italian Society of Nursing Pediatrics (Sipinf), in agreement with the parents’ association Vivere Ets.
“Among the targeted interventions of the project – recalls Sin – there is the greater diffusion of practices that facilitate the initiation and duration of breastfeeding, such as skin-to-skin contact immediately in the delivery room. The effectiveness of the skin-to-skin contact was also confirmed by a recent prospective observational study, conducted by the Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Polyclinic Hospital of Bari and the San Giovanni di Dio hospital of Melfi. A total of 160 newborns were enrolled, of which 79 ( 49.4%) subjected to skin-to-skin contact. It emerged that, at three months of life, the percentage of exclusive breastfeeding was higher (71%) in newborns subjected to skin-to-skin contact at birth, compared to newborns not subjected to this practice (53%)”.
Another very effective tool for promoting and supporting breastfeeding is tele-support for parents, which provides additional help in addition to the usual in-person visits by operators. The increase in the rate of exclusive breastfeeding 3 months after giving birth increases by 25% with tele-support, showing a positive effect even up to 6 months. On this basis, Sins has created and disseminated a Position Statement on Tele-support for Breastfeeding, coordinated by Riccardo Davanzo, president of the Breastfeeding Commission of the Italian Society of Neonatology (Comasin).
“With the right support and support, mums can be helped to overcome any initial difficulties. It is worth it, given that the natural practice of breastfeeding is a health voucher for the infant, but also for itself – concludes President Orfeo – Breast milk, in fact, represents the ideal food, perfect for the newborn, but Breastfeeding for a long time also brings benefits to women, protecting them for example from breast and ovarian cancer. It is very understandable how in the first few days breastfeeding can become the central practice in the mother-father-baby triad, to which the father can and must also contribute, in a convinced and safe manner”.
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