Doctor Ivone Lobo

OBGYN 
Subspecialist in Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Head of Maternity HPA Gambelas

On breastfeeding

"In all things of Nature there is something of the marvelous."  Aristóteles

HPA Magazine 12

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of children around the world.
It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by WHO and UNICEF to promote and protect breastfeeding.

The Maternity Unit of the Gambelas hospital has since 2017, commemorated this date by organizing a symposium to promote breastfeeding, with the participation of pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and health professionals. This year it is scheduled for the morning of August 3, at the Vila Galé Ampalius Hotel.
The baby’s breastfeeding experience in the first hours and days of life is crucial for a baby who will be exclusively breastfeed.
It is common knowledge that children who have skin-to-skin contact with the mother after childbirth, and those who are breastfed as early as in the first hour of life, remain breastfed for a longer period.
Breastfeeding has health benefits for both mother and child. Benefits for the child; since breastfed children have a reduced risk for asthma, obesity, type 2 diabetes, respiratory and ear infections, as well as a lower incidence of sudden death syndrome. Benefits for the mother; as it decreases the risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer and breast cancer.

We have implemented 10 steps for successful breastfeeding in our maternity:

01. We make breastfeeding care a standard practice.

02. We train professionals to support and train mothers who breastfeed.

03. During pregnancy we inform on the importance of breastfeeding and the best strategies.

04. We encourage skin-to-skin contact between the mother and baby, soon after birth. We help the mother put the baby to the breast to adapt to the best suckling position.

05. We help mothers in the different problems involved with breastfeeding, giving advice and clarifying the various doubts that may arise. 

06. The baby is fed on breast milk only unless medical contraindications exist, or if the mother doesn't wish to breastfeed, we then teach the mother how to go about feeding with artificial milk. 

07. Babies remain with the mother during admission.

08. We teach how to recognize the baby’s hunger signals. 

09. We advise mothers not to use teats or pacifiers.

10. After discharge we encourage mothers to make use of our Breastfeeding Area where various doubts can be discussed.