| Most babies stunted by early weaning |
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Over 80 per cent of mothers introduce their babies to food before six months; leading to the babies faltering in development and getting ill regularly, with conditions such as diarrhea, constipation and stomach obstruction.
This may lead to them cutting off the bonding with the baby as they breastfeed less, the baby may become sick and the growth of the baby may stars faltering because of forced feeding or non feeding; and the baby may become emotionally affected as well. Most mothers are actually surprised by this faltering in growth , says Faith, because they also do not take their babies for monitoring until the ninth month when going for immunization. The recommended time for introducing complimentary feeding with continued breast feeding is at six months or 180 days after birth; continuing up to two years and beyond. Weaning is an old word that was used to refer to introducing the baby to food other than the mother’s milk, but the term actually means ‘stopping breast feeding’ and so the right word is ‘supplementary feeding.’ Supplementary feeding should not be done earlier than six months because; earlier than this, the baby’s digestive system is not fully mature and can not therefore digest complex food such as carbohydrates and other foods. The baby can become undernourished because the food has no requirements for growth and development unlike the breast milk; and may also become sick because all her nutrition needs are not met. At this age, the baby’s kidneys are also not mature to excrete; and this may interfere with their functioning and also brings problems to the baby. The supplementary feeding should be done at six months because; from six months , the energy needs of the baby increase as well as iron and Vitamin A needs. According to Faith, a child is born with enough iron from the mother’s womb, which lasts up to six months. Iron is important in growth and development of the baby, helps in protecting him from infections and also keeps the volume of blood high. Vitamin A is also important in the child’s development; which is why mothers are advised to take their children for Vitamin A supplements after every six months until the age of five years. If the baby is introduced to supplementary feeding later than six months, the baby will be undernourished because after six months; the mother’s breast milk does not meet all the requirements and the baby may also be prone to illnesses. Some may also have problems with feeding because they are not used to any other type of food apart from the mother’s milk. Faith cites three most important elements to consider with complementary feeding; the complementary foods should be adequate; timely and safe (hygienically). For babies from 6 to 8 months; the adequate amount should be 2-3 feeds of about 2-3 tablespoons; one to two snacks if the baby wants, and frequent breastfeeds. This amount to should be increased with age, up to half a cup .In terms of consistency, the food should be in form of a thick paste; but something that the baby can swallow. Faith recommends that one starts with one type of food at a time to check for allergies ;and observe for up to three days if the baby likes it, and how he reacts to it-e.g. if he vomits, diarrhea or constipate. The food should also be nutritionally adequate. If it is the thick porridge for instance, it should be diluted with the mother’s milk or animal milk. You could also add sugar for taste and incase of food, do not just boil it but rather fry it as the oil is also a source of energy , add salt for taste and even tomatoes for some vitamins. For babies from nine months to one year; the recommended quantity is half a cup to one cup three to four times ; one to two snacks and frequents breastfeeds. Snacks are mostly high energy things including fruits, porridge and fruit juice. For this age, the mother can use family food, mashed food or finely chopped food; something the child can pick. From nine months the parents should not blend the food anymore but allow even seeds such as the tomato seeds to get into the baby’s mouth. ‘This will help then learn how to swallow lumpy foods.’ said Faith For 1-2yr old babies, the quantity should be three to four meals of ¾ to one cupful; one to two snacks and frequent breastfeeds. For this age , the mother can also use family food, chopped or mashed food. For all ages, it is recommended that one avoids ‘monotony and flat diets’ but rather vary quantity , colour and texture; for the baby to get a variety of nutrients, tastes and textures; so that even the baby can long for the feeding time. ‘Most mothers give very boring food,’ said Faith One should also vary the cutlery and use different colors, she added, as ‘this helps the child build her thinking capacity.’ Feeding time should not be fighting time, says Faith but rather ‘a learning and enjoyable time.’ One should also be patient with the child and should encourage them rather than forcing them to eat. The caregiver should practice ‘Responsive feeding’ and understand the baby’s cues-whether the baby is ready to eat; assist the child to eat and be sensitive to the child’s cues, feed the child slowly without forcing and talk to him with eye to eye contact. The baby’s food should also have some fiber to aid in digestion; and he should also be given some water in between the meals to aid in the digestion and quench thirst. Most of these mixes do not cook at the same time; and also contain ‘anti-nutrients’ that hinders the absorption of iron and calcium that are important for growth and development. These should therefore be cooked one at a time or at most, a mix of two. For hygiene purposes; Faith advises mothers and care givers to use a cup rather than a bottle when feeding the babies. The bottle teat could lead to ‘nipple confusion’ making the baby refuse to breast feed; and may also lead to diarrhea as a result of contamination. The rubber material of the teat could also affect the dental formation of the baby. Most importantly, the baby’s food should always be freshly prepared. The Kenyatta National Hospital conducts training that include demonstrations on complementary feeding every Wednesday at the nutrition department from 9.30am.
Comments (3)
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until six months of age, the article can be a little more objective.
For example the sentence "This leads to them cutting off the bonding with
the baby as they breastfeed less, the baby becomes sick and the growth of the
baby starts faltering because of forced feeding or non feeding; and the baby
becomes emotionally affected as well" is misleading.
Just because a baby is not breastfed it does not mean that the baby becomes
sick, adequate development is affected or any of the other things specified in
the article.
Also emotional attachment is not brought about only through breastfeeding.
There are many mothers out there that stopped breastfeeding or parents who
adopted children, and all these babies that developed very well.