"The greater number of women today entering into the workforce has contributed greatly to this phenomenon. Even if a woman wants to continue feeding her child with breast milk, most working environment now won't allow her to do so," says Dr. Soe Nyunt-U, the incumbent country representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Philippines. In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, Soe shares his thoughts on the issue of breastfeeding and the hurdles involved in promoting this life-saving practice in the country and around the world.

He notes that work should not prevent mothers from giving their babies breast milk, which was overwhelmingly proven by science to be superior to infant formulas. "Offices should provide a conducive environment for a woman to express and store her milk so that her child will have a continuous supply of breast milk," Soe declares.

Many nursing mothers today feel they cannot produce ample quantities of milk. Soe stresses that this not the case if the woman learns the proper procedure from the moment her child was born. "This is the reason why we're working so hard with the Department of Health (DOH) to establish mother and baby-friendly hospitals," he explains, adding, "Some hospitals do not implement all the necessary steps in proper breastfeeding during the first moments of life and this creates problems."

Soe also admits that the aggressive advertising campaign of infant formulas has a lot to do with the decline of the practice of breastfeeding. Commenting on the influx of commercials of the said product on all tri-media, he says, "Mothers tend to believe that they are viable alternative for breast milk."

Best for baby

Elaborating on the health benefits of breast milk, Soe narrates, "Breast milk is so good that a mother do not have to feed the baby anything else but it for the first six months of life." He adds that the colostrum or the "first milk" of the mother contains immunoglobulins that protect the baby from infection. Soe also discussed another interesting point and that is the effect of breastmilk on intellectual development. "Breastfeeding results in smarter children. It does increase IQ points, something that infant formulas cannot accomplish," he intones.

Extensive research has proven that milk is species-specific. Pigs and elephants for example, need a thick layer of fat on their bodies so the milk produced by these species were also high in fat to achieve the said purpose. Humans are the slowest growing and maturing mammals but has the most advanced brain. For this reason, human milk is low in protein and high in carbohydrates to ensure proper neural development. Optimum brain development is best achieved with mother's milk.

Sterility is another important factor to consider why formulas can never match the quality of breast milk. Since it is hard to ensure the cleanliness of the water, powdered milk and containers used in preparing infant formulas, pathogens can enter a baby's system through bottle-feeding. This is the leading cause of why diarrhea kills so many infants. Soe emphasizes that breastfeeding saves mothers from the daily tacky task of cleaning feeding bottles and formula containers. "With breastfeeding, all a woman has to do is follow proper hygiene to ensure that her nipples are clean and that's it. Another good part of it is she doesn't have to spend a single centavo to feed her child," he explains.

Best for mommy

Mothers opting to breastfeed have other dividends coming their way. Soe says that the act is natural way to prevent pregnancy and certain forms of cancer and also a good way to lose weight. Research shows that exclusive breastfeeding prolongs the return of fertility as it delays the return of ovulation and menstruation. The protracted arrest of ovulatory cycles appears to be linked to certain health benefits as well. Mothers that breastfeed for at least six months throughout their lifetime have a decreased risk of breast, ovarian and uterine cancers. Mothers who want to shed off extra weights will find breastfeeding an excellent sedentary exercise too. Studies have shown that breastfeeding elicits weight loss. Milk production burns 200 to 500 calories a day.

There are rare instances where mothers should refrain from breastfeeding. "The only time that women were advised not to breastfeed is when they are TB or HIV positive," he comments, continuing, "But even in those conditions there were still exceptions depending on the severity of the case involved."

Preventable woes

Soe discloses that in the Philippines alone, 82,000 children under the age of 5 died last year due to inappropriate feeding practices. What's more hurtful about this tragedy is it is preventable. He says that 16,000 infants deaths annually could be prevented if only new mothers would initiate exclusive breastfeeding in the first hour of the baby's life; feed the baby solely by breastfeeding for the first six months; and to continue breastfeeding the child with appropriate complementary feeding until at least two years.

Breastfeeding could save families from burden of buying infant formulas, health care costs, lost wages resulting from attending sick children, not to mention funeral expenses.

He announces that the WHO in coordination with the DOH is working hard to promote breastfeeding. "We are trying our best to encompass in our breastfeeding campaign the family, the community, the hospitals and health professionals as well as the working environment," he declares. Soe reveals that they have conducted dialogues with the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines and other labor organization in an effort to provide a conducive environment for breastfeeding mothers in the workplace. He also adds that they are now actively involving health workers in the endeavor, admitting that in the past, some members of this group were utilized by milk companies to promote infant formula products.

Soe also revels on the recent decision of the Supreme Court that overwhelmingly upholds the Implementing Rules and Regulations issued by the DOH in July 2006 that restrict most marketing practices for infant formulas.

A message to mothers

Taking the opportunity to greet all mothers this Mothers. Day, Soe says that in his country Myanmar, the mother is the most important figure in the family. "This is a good day for us remember and honor our mothers," he admonishes.

Soe offers a sublime advice to Filipino mothers, "Your breast milk is one of the greatest gift you can give to your child," he stresses. And emphasizing the health benefits of breastfeeding, Soe adds, "If you revive and adhere to the practice of breastfeeding, I am certain that you would have a stronger nation than what you have today."