2023-08-01 12:35:56
by Maria Giovanna Faiella
Even if it is very hot, the baby who is exclusively breastfed is hydrated and does not need to drink water. Expert advice to overcome the main obstacles to breastfeeding in the summer (and beyond)
Only for four out of ten babies, breast milk is the only food in the first six months of life, as recommended by the World Health Organization. Yet, according to WHO and Unicef estimates, children who are not breastfed in this period of their lives are 14 times more likely to die before turning 5 than children who are. The importance of breastfeeding for the health of the baby and also of the mother is reaffirmed once more by WHO and Unicef on the occasion of the world week of breastfeeding awareness, which runs from 1 to 7 August. This year the focus is on breastfeeding in the workplace, under the slogan Let’s make breastfeeding at work, work. Working mothers should not be forced to choose between breastfeeding their children and their work; still today, however, more than half a billion female workers in the world do not have the right to legislative protection for maternity.
Benefits for the baby…
Mother’s milk is one of the main determinants of the well-being and health of each individual for their entire life and therefore for future generations, points out Annamaria Staiano, president of the Italian Society of Pediatrics (Sip).
now documented by scientific studies that exclusively breastfeeding babies up to 6 months of life protects them from many diseases. For this reason, WHO recommends breastfeeding exclusively up to 6 months of age when possible and extending breastfeeding up to 2 years of age. Breast milk, among other things, contains antibodies and other protective factors that help the baby fight infections, protect the baby from allergies, can help prevent juvenile diabetes in genetically predisposed children. Breastfeeding is also associated with a reduction in the risk of overweight and obesity in adulthood.
… and for mom
Breastfeeding is also good for mothers’ health, among other things, it helps them lose the weight accumulated during pregnancy, reduces the risk of postpartum hemorrhages, osteoporosis after menopause and that of breast and ovarian cancer. Furthermore, breastfeeding is free, practical, safe (it does not require supports such as teats or bottles to be sterilized which, even more so in the summer, can be a vehicle for germs responsible for infections, especially intestinal infections), always ready, at the right temperature.
Why continue to breastfeed even in the summer
The exclusively breastfed baby, even in very hot weather, is perfectly hydrated and does not need to drink water – explains Giovanni Corsello, Editor in Chief of the Italian Journal of Pediatrics -. Breast milk, in fact, is made up of 87 percent water. It should also be remembered that, especially in the summer, the water requirement of breastfeeding mothers increases and for this reason it is advisable to drink at least two liters of water a day. Of these 2 litres, half a liter is the amount of water a mother needs to produce milk.
Main obstacles to breastfeeding in the summer (and beyond)
Lactation crises are among the most frequent obstacles that often push mothers to abandon breastfeeding; in practice, a baby who was sucking regularly, like clockwork, suddenly wants to stay attached to the breast all the time, so the mother may think she doesn’t have enough milk. But really so? Explains Riccardo Davanzo, head of the Breastfeeding Technical Table (Tas) of the Ministry of Health: If the child is satisfied with staying at the breast, he does not cry and the urine is transparent, it means that he feeds adequately. These lactation crises in most cases resolve quickly; therefore, the advice to hold on, keep the baby at the breast without giving additions and, above all, do not stop breastfeeding.
Another reason why we often stop breastfeeding is the fear that the baby will not grow. It is important that mothers, guided by paediatricians, are informed about the correct growth curves, understanding that the growth rate cannot always be the same as that which characterizes the first two months – continues Davanzo -. It is normal, for example, for a small girl between 3 and 6 months to grow 400 grams per month and we shouldn’t be alarmed.
Work and breastfeeding
Another obstacle to breastfeeding can be due to work reasons but also family and health reasons, for which the mother is forced to interrupt, even if only for a short period. the task of the pediatrician, remind the experts of the Italian Society of Pediatrics, is to inform the mother about the possibility of expressing the milk and storing it, in order to be able to administer it to the baby without suspending breastfeeding and, above all, without incurring a drop in production resulting from decreased sinus drainage.
How to store breast milk
But in case of interruption of breastfeeding, how to store breast milk in the summer (and not only)? Guglielmo Salvatori, head of the Breastfeeding technical table of the Italian Society of Pediatrics explains: it is important for the mother to know the correct storage times to prevent expressed milk that is still suitable for administration from being thrown away (therefore wasted) for no reason, or feed the baby with milk stored in an unsuitable way.
Here are the indications, based on recent scientific studies, from the technical committee of the Scientific Society portal.
• Mother’s milk, fresh or frozen, is preserved:
– 4 hours at room temperature (not exceeding 25C);
– 24 hours in a thermal bag with cooling blocks;
– in the fridge for 96 hours if fresh or 48 if frozen;
– in the freezer (-18C) for 12 months.
• Before use, it can be heated in a bain-marie or with a bottle warmer (no microwaves).
• If hot, it cannot be reheated or placed in the fridge; if frozen, thaw it in the fridge or under running water at 37 C or in a bain-marie.
• If defrosted, it cannot be refrozen.
• Thawing could lead to color or odor changes which do not indicate a loss of its properties.
August 1, 2023 (change August 1, 2023 | 12:35)
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