World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.
This years World Breastfeeding week theme is “A key to sustainable development” talks about how breastfeeding provides ongoing and sustainable ways of feeding babies.
The mothers in neonatal units are amazing, they are able to continue expressing sometimes up to 14 weeks before actually putting a baby to the breast and many go on to breastfeed beautifully for some time following discharge. They can feel a great sense of satisfaction that they, and only they, can provide their babies with the best form of nutrition to give them the best start in life which will continue to have lifelong benefits.
In this Breastfeeding week, we acknowledge these mothers and thank them for all their dedication in providing their valuable milk for their babies.
To read just a few of the benefits of breastfeeding, see here:
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-07-protein-breast-infection-premature-infants.html
http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2016-06-14-study-confirms-breast-best-premature-babies-hearts
Below are a couple of photos from Waikato NICUs ‘Big Latch On’ as part of World Breastfeeding week. The Little Miracles Trust provided morning tea in the NICU family lounge and also brought a cake and cookies for the medical staff. In the picture, we have Leanne Holmer (Social worker), Wendy Bellhouse (Volunteer baker) and Robyn Hills (Lactation consultant).
