The Women Infants and Children (WIC) program will host Breastfeeding Week Aug.1-7 for which an open invitation has been extended to WIC families to participate in a walkathon, aerobics and nutrition fair set for Saturday, July 31, 2010.
WIC comes under the Department of Human and Social Services and each year the department hosts its annual Breastfeeding Week to increase public awareness and acceptance of breastfeeding.
According to a paid DHSS/WIC advertisement placed in the Samoa News, the special week kicks off with a walkathon, 6 a.m., Saturday, July 31, 2010. The walk will begin at two different points: Faga’alu Park and ASCO Motors in Pago Pago.
Following the walk, there will be aerobics, some remarks, health screenings, a nutrition fair, incentives and refreshments. The program is set to finish at 10 a.m.
Local efforts to promote breastfeeding coincides with World Breastfeeding Week 2010.
At worldbreastfeedingweek.org, a new 10-step video series has been created to support World Breastfeeding Week 2010, called “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.”
The video can be accessed at worldbreastfeedingweek.org.
The objectives of Breastfeeding Week 2010 are to draw attention to the role of the Ten Steps in improving breastfeeding rates and to renew action by health systems, health care providers and communities to make breastfeeding the easy choice for women.
In addition, activities seek to inform people everywhere of the risks of artificial feeding, and the role of breastfeeding for children’s development and lifelong health of babies and mothers.
It is also meant to enable mothers to enjoy full support for breastfeeding in health care systems and beyond.
The Ten Steps are:
1) Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff;
2) Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy;
3) Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding;
4) Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within a half-hour of birth;
5) Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation, even if they should be separated from their infants;
6) Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk unless medically indicated;
7) Practice rooming-in — allow mothers and infants to remain together —24 hours a day;
8) Encourage breastfeeding on demand;
9) Give no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants; and
10) Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.
