First Week Of August Is Breastfeeding Week

From 1-7 August 2010, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), and breastfeeding
advocates in more than 170 countries worldwide will be celebrating World Breastfeeding Week for the 19th year with the theme “Breastfeeding: Just 10 Steps. The Baby-Friendly Way”.

Research shows that the best feeding option globally is the initiation of breastfeeding within the first half hour
of life, exclusive breastfeeding for a full six months and continued breastfeeding through the second year or
beyond. Breastfeeding improves short and long term maternal and child health; and thus contribute to the
attainment of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) 4: REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY and 5
IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH, to which many countries and agencies are committed.

UNICEF recently noted that the reduction of child deaths from 13 million globally in 1990 to 8.8 million in
20081 is partly due to the adoption of basic health interventions such as early and exclusive breastfeeding.
More and more studies have shown that implementation of the Ten Steps with continued postnatal support
contributes to increased breastfeeding initiation and exclusive breastfeeding at the local, national and global
levels. 2,3,4 Today, an estimated 28% of all maternity facilities in the world have at some point implemented the Ten Steps which has contributed to an encouraging increase in breastfeeding rates despite aggressive commercial promotion of infant formula and feeding bottles.

However this is a far cry from the original goal of ALL maternity facilities practising the Ten Steps by
1995 as stated in the Innocenti Declaration (1990) on the protection, promotion and support of
breastfeeding which had outlined what countries should do to support breastfeeding.

In 2005, fifteen years after the original Innocenti Declaration, the Innocenti+15 Declaration had called
upon individuals, health care professionals, communities, governments and multilateral, bilateral
organisations and international financial institutions to ensure that all women can succeed in
breastfeeding.

In 2007, UNICEF and WHO completed an update and revision of the Baby-Friendly materials which
acknowledge new research and experience, and suggest new approaches to Baby-Friendly beyond the
maternity hospital in other health settings and in the community.

Action at community level is particularly important since globally only 56% of women deliver their
babies in a health facility, (only 33% in the least developed countries) and they may be discharged
within a day or two. Women need ongoing support in the community whether they deliver in hospital or
at home.

Whilst rates of exclusive breastfeeding have increased in many countries, there has been stagnation or
decrease in some, partly because reduced political support for BFHI and poor compliance with the Ten
Steps in BFHI certified facilities.

Recent studies have shown that with more of the Ten Steps in place, the more likely women are to
achieve their breastfeeding goals.5 This confirms that importance for every maternity, hospital, clinic
and community to strive to increase the number of steps in place, even if they cannot achieve all ten
steps immediately. Therefore every step counts!

‘Let’s join hands in taking the reliable Ten Steps

to making this world

a Baby-Friendly World!’

Allergy And Its Many Faces: A Lay Forum On Allergies

What do rashes, sneezing and swollen lips have in common?  These could be a manifestation of an allergy.  Learn more by attending this seminar for free: Allergy and Its Many Faces on Saturday, July 17, 2010 at The Medical City.  Topics will include allergic rhinitis and asthma; drug, food and insect sting allergies; problems with a weak immune system; allergy testing; allergy avoidance and more: 

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Check Out The Nestle I Choose Wellness Expo 2010

Today is the last day of the Nestle I Choose Wellness Expo 2010, I'm sorry for posting late again as I have been busy.  You can drop by any time and just make sure you got plenty time in your hands to go around the venue and join the activities for everyone.

Upon registration and entry you will be given a card and a goodie bag.  Use the card to join activities and have it stamped.  Once you collect four stamps go to the redemption booth to get some more goodies and prize.  Nestle characters like Koko,  Chuckie and Bear Brand are also in the area.

There are booths for free blood pressure, health check-ups, free membership to the Nestle I Choose Wellness Club, free seminars on health and wellness, cooking demos and loads of free tasting of Nestle products.

A Nestle store is also in place where customers can buy Nestle products at a discounted price.

So if you don't have any plans today, go check the I Choose Wellness Expo at the Megatrade Hall B 5th Floor of SM Megamall!  The expo is open from 10AM to 8PM

Nestle Philippines created this wellness expo to encourage consumers to take responsibility for their lifestyle decisions that enhances good nutrition, health and wellness for themselves and their families.

Free Vitamins For Your Kids

Dear Mommies,

 

School season is fast approaching.  Scheeling knows that as a parent, we will do whatever it takes to protect our beloved ones and assist him in school days fever. That is why I am happy to tell you that they are here to respond to us and our children’s needs.

 

As our partner in maintaining good health to our kids, Scheeling is giving CeeZincvitamin syrup for your kids to help keep up with their active lifestyle.  

 

CeeZinc vitamin syrup is an orange-flavored combination of Vitamin C and Zinc syrup.  Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that helps boost the immune system to fight against infections such as common colds.  Zinc is an essential mineral that helps boost mental performance making kids think and learn faster.

 

Spread this good news to your 10 loved ones or friends (excluding you) and you will get three  (3) bottles of CeeZinc vitamin syrup.  However if you extend this to your 20 dearest friends you will receive 3 bottles of CeeZinc plus a school backpack for your kids. 

Please make sure everytime you spread this great opportunity you send a copy to: ceezincpromo@yahoo.com

All the best,

Mommy Earth

All About Autism

As you all know I have a daughter with autism.  After accepting her condition (knowing about her condition was different from accepting it) I have attended several seminars and been doing a lot of readings about this condition.  I have a personal blog that talks about Surviving Autism and you might want to read it so just you know more how we are coping. Meanwhile I am here to share some useful information about the condition.

What it autism?
Autism is a spectrum disorder of the brain that affects a child's behavior, communication and social skills.  It includes three of five disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDDs), these are Autistic Disorder (ASD), Asperger's Syndrome and PDD-not otherwide specified (PDD-NOS).  Latest of the data I've gathered worldwide there is now 1 out of 66 children born with autism and is more common on boys than girls.  So my daughter's condition is one of the rare types.

How will you know if your child has autism?
If you notice your child has difficulty communicating, socializing and there are presence of repetitive and ritualistic behaviors its safe to assume that there is something different with the child.  You should immediately see a doctor for diagnosis as no two children are the same when it comes with ASD.  Individuals have varying symptoms with varying severity.

Beware Of Infant Obesity

If most Filipinos were asked to describe what a healthy five-month old baby looks like, chances are they would depict an infant that was chubby, rosy-cheeked, glowing, and slightly bigger or taller than other infants. Simply put, it’s a pleasantly plump baby that looks like a character in a Fernando Botero painting.

Although slightly plump babies may look cuter or more robust than “slimmer” infants, the truth is they are over-nourished or overfed than they should be. They are also more prone to diseases and ailments later in life.

In a talk given by London-based pediatric nutritionist and pediatrician Dr. Atul Singhal at the Panay Ballroom of the Hotel Sofitel in Manila, he explained that the amount and quality of sustenance given to babies from zero to six months “programs” their overall health. “How you feed baby prior to weaning has a permanent and long-term effect on health. In the past, bigger was considered better. Our problem is, we are forcing babies to grow faster than the norm,” said Singhal.

By feeding babies too much or too often, infants tend to gain weight faster and grow faster than what is considered normal by the World Health Organization. Babies need a slower or more natural pattern of growth to ensure optimal brain development.

Aside from these, overfeeding also leads to infant obesity. In the National Nutrition Survey cited by Dr. Fil Gatcheco, president of the Philippine Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, he noted that obesity cases in children from zero to five years old jumped from 0.6% to 2%. Although this growth was smaller than Western and Asian counterparts, it was still alarming.

To ensure that babies have a normal growth pattern, Dr. Singhal said that infants had to be fed the right kind and amount of protein particularly, alpha protein or alpha-lactalbumin. Alpha-protein is an important nutritional protein that decreases gastro-intestinal problems like vomiting, spitting up, regurgitation, or food intolerance. It helps improve the absorption of essential minerals like zinc and offers less stress to the kidneys.

He further stated that randomized trials conducted overseas on 128 infants showed that babies who were given alpha-lactalbumin had lesser gastro-intestinal problems.

Aside from decreasing the incidence of gastro-intestinal problems in babies, alpha protein also enhances the disposition of babies. Since it contains helpful amino acids with tryptophan, babies have better sleep patterns, appetites and in effect, have better moods. Children who are fed alpha protein are healthier and stand to have more enduring health benefits.

What and how often you feed your baby will dictate how healthy and strong he or she will be decades from now. If parents (and grand parents) learn to accept the fact that roly-poly doesn’t necessarily mean healthy, then this generation of babies may stand a better chance against cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetesand insulin resistance in the future.

To find out more about alpha protein and what it can do for your baby, ask your trusted pediatrician.