The secrets of breast feeding

by Gamini Weerakoon

(September 21, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva last week made the dramatic claim that the country’s ‘breast feeding rate’ was 78 per cent and that we were well ahead of other South Asian countries and even that of the United States and China.

We as a newspaperman, are not intimate with the subject but having been a linesman in the Battle of Breast Vs Bottle for decades, were elated about the claim. Breast milk, the doctors said, was the best milk.

We were wondering how this dramatic change was brought about when our thoughts went to an incident that took place about two years ago while we were purchasing some goods at a small wayside boutique of a mudalali.

A poor woman asked for a few spoonfuls of a variety of powdered milk. The inherent dangers of contamination by the sale of exposed powdered milk were all too obvious but apparently such considerations do not matter to a mother when a hungry child cries out for milk and she has no money.

The price of powdered milk was prohibitive and the poor mother obviously could not afford to buy a full packet. The price of milk has been climbing up to further dizzying heights since then.

Money or persuasion?

Thus doubts arose in our mind whether this ‘success’ claimed was the result of campaigning by doctors and nutritionists as well as government decisions like that of enforced maternity leave or the hideous fact that poor mothers cannot afford to buy powdered milk and have no option but to breast feed their children with whatever quantity of milk they can produce.

We went to a web site of the Nutrition Society of Sri Lanka (last updated on 13/01/2007) which said that ‘exclusive breast feeding’ has increased up to about six months among non working women and efforts were being made to extend maternity leave for about four months.

It also said that the society had written to the President on their concern for milk food and that assistance of Rs 200 be given to all children below the age of five years but expressed concern about such assistance being given to children below six months because it would erode the breast feeding effort.

What happens if breast milk is not sufficient? Child goes hungry?

Damning statistics

An appeal posted on the internet by the Asian Human Rights Commission (though as far back as in July 2001) is alarming and it is more so now because the price of milk has escalated to astronomical heights in the seven years since then. It is pointed out that the price of a 400 gram packet of powdered milk in 1977 was Rs. 6 (USD.07). By 1994 it had escalated to Rs. 50 (US.56). By 2001 it had reached Rs 119.

According to press reports the price of a 400 gram pack by June this year was Rs 180.

The Asian Human Rights Commission going on the conditions prevalent in 2001 said that half the population — two million families – received less than Rs 1000 in family income from Samurdhi. A family with only one child below five years will have to be provided with at least 10 packets a month which will amount to Rs 1,190 per month for the child’s milk alone.

Thus half the population would be unable to feed their children with the essential milk requirements even if they spend the entire family income on milk alone!

The situation is by far worse today despite all the bakthi gee sung to Mahinda Chinthanaya, particularly with inflation running close to 30 per cent.

Explanation

This claim of Minister de Silva about the dramatic rise in breast feeding deserves detailed explanation particularly on how it was achieved in such a hostile environment.

What is the nutrition status of poverty stricken mothers of today? Can they produce sufficient milk to breast feed their babies? He should let the public know the sample of the survey.

This dramatic increase in breast feeding beating even the United States deserves elucidation particularly because the last National Nutritional Survey conducted in 1995 gave stunting of children under five years at 20 per cent, wasting at 13 per cent, underweight at 33 per cent.

Is the situation any better? Some nutritionists have begun talking about the ‘silent tsunami’ that has struck us.

This ‘dramatic increase’ of 75 per cent in breast feeding conveys the impression that, progress is being made from the bottom. But is it a case ‘of lies, damn lies and statistics’?

Sri Lanka is now gaining repute in the field of statistics. For example, deploying a new economic principle of ‘Cabraalnomics,’ we have simply lowered the rate of inflation by not considering some vital factors that contributed to the rate of inflation rising to 30 per cent.

Soon we may decide to do away with the indices for economic growth such as the Gross Development Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP). Instead we may adopt something new such as what Bhutan did — Gross National Happiness (GNH).

Indeed, the Himalayan kingdom – now a constitutional monarchy – is truly a Shangri-La with the least amount of problems in South Asia. We are told that we too are about to experience such happiness or even ecstasy when we win the ‘war’— forget the war dead.

Bonny babies

Let’s hope that the dramatic claim of a 75 per cent ‘breast feeding rate’ is true and we can produce bonny babies looking as jolly and bonny as our Health Minister and World Health Organisation president, Nimal Siripala De Silva, instead of the scallywags that are now being born. - Sri Lanka Guardian