Supporting breastfeeding mothers in Tajikistan
By Parveena Muhammedkhajaeva 4 August 2008 - On the eve of Breastfeeding Week 2008, we visited some children’s clinics in Tajikistan; clinics for mother and child health consultations and where children are immunized. We asked visitors for their views of the kind of support breastfeeding mothers can receive. Shuhrat Ibodulloev brought his son to Dushanbe clinic number 12 for a health check-up. He has four children – one daughter and three sons. Muhibullo is his youngest child, four-months- old, and already supports his mother in breastfeeding. How? Muhibullo’s mother says her son refuses anything other than breast-milk. What a clever baby! Shuhrat is a religious person and believes that UNICEF’s promotion of breastfeeding matches his ideas. “I am responsible for making sure my wife is able to care for and educate our children well. This is the most difficult and responsible job that a woman undertakes; therefore my wife needs support from me, ” said Shuhrat. Exclusively breastfed children are better nourished, emotionally balanced and have higher IQs. Many serious conditions occurring in adulthood such as obesity, diabetes, gastrointestinal and other diseases could be prevented by practicing breastfeeding in the family At the same clinic we met NIgina Ubaidulloeva(aged 28), who has a five-months-old son. “I am breastfeeding my child but sometimes when he is not full and cries I give him some light cookies”. We explained to her why she should not give any solid food to her child at this age and her reply was: “I believed that only three months are critical for exclusive breastfeeding and regret that such information reached me”. Nlgina’s baby-feeding habits illustrate the importance of receiving correct information. Crying is not a sign that the baby needs other foods or drink. It normally means that the baby needs to be held and cuddled more. Some babies need to suckle the breast to feel comfort. More suckling will produce more breast-milk. Not all mothers choose to breastfeed their baby in the first months of life, since there are obstacles. The problems often emerge from within the family, relatives and surroundings. Young mothers are often “blamed” by in-house relatives for providing inadequate breast milk and forced to feed their children with solid food and animal milk. Almost every mother can breastfeed successfully. Those who might lack the confidence to breastfeed need the encouragement and practical support of the baby’s father and their family, peers, friends and relatives. Health workers, women’s organisations, the mass media and employers can also provide support by promoting correct information about the healthy benefits to child and mother of exclusive breastfeeding. We met Zuhra, (aged 31), who has a medical background. She has three children and her youngest child is Samir, who is nine-months-old. “I know about the benefits of breast-milk and always try feed my children properly. My daughter and son were breastfed exclusively up to six-months of age and continued to be fed breastmilk up to the age of two. Samir will be treated in the same way as his brother and sister”. For a happier and healthier childhood, all mothers should provide their babies with the best start in life by exclusively breastfeeding them for the first six months - no drinking water, or other types of milk or food supplements are necessary. Babies who are breastfed have stronger immunity systems and it is estimated that more than 1.5 million babies who die each year from preventable illness could be saved by breastfeeding. “Only 25 per cent of Tajik mothers are breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months as recommended by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. This figure, compared to other CIS countries is high,” said Rahmatulloev Sherali, National Breastfeeding Coordinator. “Nevertheless, we need to strengthen our work and jointly support mothers, focus on breastfeeding promotion through family physicians and community nurses who work with financially challenged extended families with little access to doctors.”
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