Breastfeeding is a vital lifeline in war zones

It’s hard to believe, when breastfeeding is so commonly recommended around the world, that about 823,00 deaths could be avoided in both low- and high-income countries if more babies and infants were breastfed.

Dr Mariana Gutierrez Popoca is a pediatrician with Medicines Sans Frontier (MSF) and works world-wide to support and encourage breastfeeding.

“Only 48% of infants aged 0-5 months are exclusively breastfed world-wide, with no countries achieving near-universal rates,” Dr Mariana Gutierrez Popoca said in the latest MJA podcast.

“Even in regions assumed to have high rates, such as Africa and Latin America, exclusive breastfeeding is often low.”

Barriers to breastfeeding include malnutrition of the mother and aggressive marketing campaigns for breast milk substitutes.

“Breastfeeding is way more than just nutrition,” Dr Gutierrez Popoca said.

“It’s kind of like the first immunisation to the baby. The mother will transfer some of her immunoglobulins, some of her defence cells.”

“In itself breastfeeding is a huge protecting factor, for example from infectious diseases.”

“Many of the components of breast milk are anti-bacterial, anti-virus, anti-fungal.”

“It is also the perfect nutritional balance. It has everything that the baby requires up to six months of age.”

“And then for the first year of life breastfeeding is still the major component of infant nutrition after six months.” 

Australians are able to choose breastmilk substitutes and provide it safely for many reasons, including clean water.

In many areas around the world this isn’t possible due to a number of reasons including unsafe water, or the price is too high.

Warzone protective factors

Where breastfeeding becomes even more important is in what MSF calls emergency situations — including warzones.

“Breastfeeding is important overall for any context in any place but particularly in emergency situations,” Dr Gutierrez Popoca said.

“Unfortunately, in emergency settings like the ones we work in MSF (using a breastmilk substitute) becomes absolutely impossible.”

“There is no guarantee that the source of water is going to be clean, very possibly this family will not be able to afford in the long term an adequate breastmilk substitute.”

Sterilisation can be impossible and the level of hygiene needed to give the breastmilk substitute is simply not available.

Protection for mothers as well as babies

Not only does breastfeeding have a protective factor for babies, but it also provides positive benefits for the mother too. 

“Breastfeeding is an absolute lifeline,” Dr Gutierrez Popoca said.

“It is also a protective factor for mothers. So it’s not only about the huge reduction of morbidity and mortality for children but it also improves the health of the mother as well.”

“It will protect her against breast cancer, ovarian cancer, it reduces the chances of post-partum depression.”

In war zones, breastfeeding provides additional benefits for people living in life or death situations.

“It enhances the bond between the mother and the baby and in situations where you are in a very distressed context where you are in a war zone, in a conflict setting where you’re basically fearing for your life 24/7, the impact on the mental health of the mother is not negligible, it has a very big impact,” Dr Gutierrez Popoca said.

“We have heard some testimonies from mums in the Gaza region where they received support for breastfeeding and they speak so positively about the experience of being close to their babies, feeling that there is something that they can do to keep their babies healthy, to protect them from what is going on around them.”

“So it is a very powerful thing, again it goes beyond nutrition and in emergency situations like the ones we work in, it is the difference between having a child that will grow up and thrive and having an infant that unfortunately passes away.”

Dr Mariana Gutierrez Popoca was visiting Australia here to attend the Australian Breastfeeding National Conference.

Part of the focus of the conference is on de-medicalising the maternal processes and supporting breastfeeding without causing guilt and shame.

MSF are looking for certain specialisations for doctors in MSF including: Anaesthetists, Obstetrician-Gynaecologists, Paediatricians, Psychiatrists, Surgeons (Burns, Plastic and Reconstruction and Surgeons, and Orthopaedic and Vascular).

MSF says it holds recruitment webinars and as well as a monthly medical recruitment e-newsletter that people can subscribe to if they’re interested in finding out more.

Go to their website at https://msf.org.au/join-us

Listen to the MJA podcast with Dr Mariana Gutierrez Popoca.