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The World Health Organization recommends that infants
should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months
of life. Breastfeeding should continue for at least 2
years with weaning foods added at 6 months of age. A
weaning diet should consist of:
- a staple (a complex carbohydrate) such as cereals, roots, or tubers,
- an energy rich supplement (fats, oils and sugars),
- protein rich supplements (legumes, animal products, meat, eggs), and
- vitamin and mineral rich foods (fruits and vegetables)
(
WHO, 2001
).
- these complementary foods should be low cost and prepared locally
)
WHO, 2003-3
).
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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding
for at least 12 months and as long thereafter as mutually desired.
Supplemental foods should be added at 6 months of age
(
AAP Breastfeeding, 2012
).
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In 1989, The World Health Organization (WHO) developed the
Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.
Every facility providing maternity services and care for newborn
infants should:
- Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated
to all health care staff.
- Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
- Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of
breastfeeding.
- Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within a half-hour of birth.
- Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they
should be separated from their infants.
- Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk
unless medically indicated.
- Practice rooming in:
Allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
- Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
- Give no artificial teats or pacifiers, also called dummies or soothers to
breastfeeding infants.
- Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer
mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.
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"We need to remind mothers that breastfeeding remains the most powerful
prevention against both malnutrition and infectious diseases."
Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General,
World Health Organization;
August 10, 1998
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