How long should you breastfeed?
Breastfeeding is recommended exclusively for the first six months of a child’s life, but what happens when a mother chooses to go way beyond the recommended period, or end long before that?
According to the WHO/UNICEF in the ‘Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding’, published in 2002, breastfeeding is recommended exclusively for up to six months and subsequent breastfeeding, along with complementary foods, is recommended for up to two years of a child’s life. Breast milk remains a significant source of important nutrients, immune-building proteins, and comfort after six months of age, but in decreasing quantities.
However, paediatricians say that the choice to continue breastfeeding is a personal one and should be respected. It may be influenced by many factors including milk supply, infants’ desire to suckle, and a maternal desire to continue to breastfeed.
The guidelines from the Global Strategy state that even though it is a natural act, breastfeeding is also a learned behaviour. Hence, all mothers can breastfeed, provided they have accurate information and support within their families and communities and from the healthcare system. Mothers should also have access to skilled practical help from, for example, trained health workers, lay and peer counsellors, and certified lactation consultants who can help to build mothers’ confidence, improve feeding techniques, and prevent or resolve breastfeeding problems.
Additionally, the guidelines point out that infants are particularly vulnerable during the transition period when complementary feeding begins. So, to ensure that their nutritional needs are met, complementary foods must be:
1. Timely – meaning that they are introduced when the need for energy and nutrients exceeds what can be provided through exclusive and frequent breastfeeding.
2. Adequate – meaning that they provide sufficient energy, protein and micronutrients to meet a growing child’s nutritional needs.
3. Safe – meaning that they are hygienically stored and prepared, and fed with clean hands using clean utensils and not bottles or teats.
4. Properly fed – meaning that they are given to be consistent with a child’s signals of appetite and satiety, and that meal frequency and feeding method – actively encouraging the child, even during illness, to consume sufficient food using fingers, spoon or self-feeding – are suitable for age.
The guidelines also outline that appropriate, complementary feeding depends on accurate information and skilled support from the family, community and healthcare systems. It states that inadequate knowledge about appropriate foods and feeding practices is often a greater determinant of malnutrition than the lack of food.
