Transcript Track 3 -Barriers to promoting breastfeeding

Objective 1: Barriers to promoting
breastfeeding
in communities
Barriers
• Household level
– Community norms, e.g. Cultural practices need to educate families
(men, in laws – mothers in law)
– CHW visit important, but in conflict with the seclusion practice.
– Men- influence on breastfeeding, educate them to be able to support
their partners
– Grannies’ influence
• Community level
– Must start at antenatal care
– Alcohol use – may influence women to rush to stop breastfeeding
– Cultural beliefs- e.g. If you are pregnant and have a breastfeeding baby
MYTH: baby could have a psycho logical problems
Barriers
• Conflict between breastfeeding and demand for
child maintenance
• Lack of Feeding places
• Sekgalaka- sore in the breast then elders say stop
breastfeeding
– Sekgalaka should not stop breastfeeding as can still
b/f with the other breast
– Is treatable!
• Ditantanyane- baby fed with mixture of root ‘tea’
• Impact and influence of imported culture through
media influence & peer group pressure,etc.
Barriers
• HCW- don’t give proper information to the
mother due to high workload
• Post C/S moms- practice that baby needs to
suckle within the first hr not possible as mom
and baby are separate
• Doctors are influential and often choose the
‘easier’ option of formula feeding.
• Problems identified at ANC not addressed and
become a problem post-delivery
Barriers
• Teenagers and working moms- not always
practical to continue b/f
– AFASS
• Private sector- sometimes contradicts public
health policy
What needs to be done?
• Community leadership- advocate for
promotion of breastfeeding
• Involve men in health care practice & support
to partners in breast feeding
• Capacity building & in service training for
HCWs & CHWs
• Regulate the formula Feed industry
• Fast track code of marketing
• Should speak in one voice
• promote the use of health facilities for
information and support for motherrs
• How do we support our leaders to support
breastfeeding?- Capacity building