The Fourth Centenary Health Secretariat promotes, during the month of August, a series of preventive and orientating activities to raise the awareness of the population about the importance of breastfeeding.
The activities are carried out during the August Golden campaign, an occasion in which mothers are encouraged and encouraged about breastfeeding. "The focus is on showing the importance of breastfeeding, stimulating reflection on the problem in women, especially in mothers", says nurse Marcos.
He recalls that the purpose of actions is to make society understand that promoting and providing breastfeeding conditions is everyone's responsibility, not just an individual act of the mother.
"Of course we work with mothers, but everyone can work together, encourage and emphasize the importance of this act," he remarks.
Benefits – Although it is the most complete diet for the baby, only 39% of children up to six months of age in the world receive exclusively breast milk. The recommendation is that mothers continue to breastfeed until the age of 2 and that they introduce other foods and beverages from the sixth month onwards.
Breastfeeding works as a first vaccine for the baby because breast milk has antibodies against viruses and bacteria when the child's immune system develops.
Breast-feeding reduces the avoidable mortality in children younger than 5 years by 13% and reduces cases of diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity. By sucking the breast, the baby has the most harmonious development of the musculature and the bones of the face, healthy teeth, good speech development and good breathing.
For the mother, breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast and cervical cancer and helps to reduce the weight after delivery. Studies even indicate a decrease in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease.
World Week – World Breastfeeding Week has been organized worldwide by NGOs since 1992, with a seal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
In Brazil, in April 2017, Act 13.435, in which August was declared the breastfeeding month & # 39 ;, was issued, in which awareness and clarification of the importance of breastfeeding should be intensified.
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