Exclusive Breastfeeding image

During the last few decades, synthetic products have taken over a wide range of natural resources as an alternative. As a result, companies started making substitutes even for breast milk.

From then until now, aggressive marketing of breast milk substitutes had a significant impact in decreasing exclusive breastfeeding. Nevertheless, exclusive breastfeeding is by far the most crucial factor for the early development of a child’s growth. Therefore, society should take essential steps to promote breastfeeding.

Protection of Breastfeeding and Child Nutrition (Ordinance 2002 Pakistan)

In 2002 an ordinance was passed by the government to encourage exclusive breastfeeding. The critical role of this ordinance was to demoralize all the non-breastfeeding products or advertisements.

What Shouldn’t be Encouraged?

If we want to support exclusive breastfeeding, some of the things need to be discouraged!

  1. Any space or material that the companies sponsor.
  2. Artificially sweetened milk for the babies as an alternative to breast-milk
  3. Advertisements of children with synthetic breastfeeding products.
  4. Donation of manufactured products to health care facilities and nurturing mothers.
  5. Counseling by pharmaceutical staff to mothers on use of formula milk products.

Direction to Pharmaceutical Companies

In Pakistan government has directed the pharmaceutical companies to avoid advertising their formula milk products. Therefore, these companies should stop making such products.

Furthermore, the health care staff should appropriately counsel families. If these steps are correctly taken, only then will Pakistan provide every child with exclusive breastfeeding to flourish at his maximum.