Supporting First-time Mother for Breastfeeding Protection and Promotion

Supporting First-time Mother for Breastfeeding Protection and Promotion
By James Achanyi-Fontem, Coordinator, WABA MWG

The birth of baby sparks a board range of emotions in a woman. Her body and life are disrupted. This is a part of the process of adapting to her baby and learning what motherhood is all about. After the birth of the baby, as it is true during pregnancy and birth, the mother needs the advice or assistance of a professional.
Depression
The mother experiences a sudden change of mood after the baby is born. She is overwhelmed and exhausted. This is normal, if the mother is tired. All first-time mothers experience the blues for brief periods of time. Post-partum blues can last for several hours, several days and even up to two(2) weeks depending on the condition of the mother.
At this moment, it is important for the mother to discuss her feelings with her partner or another loved one. She should contact other mothers or experienced parents. The mother should encourage contact between her skin and that of the baby (skin-to-skin contact) and savour happy moments. This will overcome the difficult moments.
If after doing the above, you are not at ease for several days and even weeks, you are suffering from post-partum depression. Please, it is adviseable to consult a doctor or psychologist. They bring a smile back to the mother’s face and enable them to fully enjoy motherhood.
Importance of Rest
To recover physically and emotionally from childbirth, first-time mothers need plenty of rest. It takes several weeks for her to regain normal energy level. She has to be patient, take care of herself and should not hesitate to seek help when it is needed. The mother should adjust her rest period to the schedule of the baby’s feeling.
At this time, the man should help change the baby’s diaper and carry the baby to the mother to nurse on the baby’s demand. A baby can’t wait. If the man is absent, a family member or friend should help during the first days, so that the mother can rest.
The mother should plan no other activities during the first week after baby’s delivery. This is the period for the initiation of attachment. Mothers need help for up to three weeks for house work care, cooking and caring for other children. Nice babies often wake up their mothers at night and this is a good reason to rest when the baby is at sleep during the day.
Blood Loss
For one or two days after giving birth, blood loss in the mother is abundant than during menstruation. The bleeding then diminishes later and change texture. The colour will change gradually from pinkish to increasingly pale brown. The mother occasionally discharges a blood clot in the morning after urinating or breastfeeding.
An unusual effort and a caesarian section may cause redder, more abundant blood loss. It should be noted that a resumption of bleeding, approximately 10 days after childbirth, stems from the healing of the placenta site. Blood loss usually lasts for 3 to 6 weeks. Mothers are advised not to use tampons, but sanitary napkins without plastic linings, since the linings can be irritating. If the discharges of blood clots are large, consult a doctor or midwife immediately.
Contractions
When nursing the baby, the mother may feel uterine after-pains. To relieve the pain, it is advised that you consult a doctor or mid wife.
Healing Perineum
Mothers may experience a burning sensation when urinating. Mothers should not hesitate to splash warm water on the valves as they urinate. In case of bowel movements, the mothers should relax.
Hygiene
Hygiene is very important. To avoid health problems, mothers take a bath everyday. Mothers should change their sanitary napkins at least every four hours and they should wash their hands after using the toilet each time.
Exercise
Wait for several weeks before undertaking an exercise program to restore the figure. Mothers should avoid overly long walks. If they leave the house, they should know that they will be tired more readily and sometimes suddenly.
Healthy Weight
The mothers should maintain health diets. Within several months at the most, their bodies will exhaust the reserves accumulated during pregnancy. She will be able to resume physical activity gradually two months after giving birth.
The mothers should be patient, because the weight gained in 9 months cannot be eliminated in just a few days. Mothers should resist the temptation to lose weight quickly if she is breastfeeding. It is reasonable to lose 1 to 2 kgs in weight every month after delivery. Mothers should take note that a calorie-reduced diet may curtail the milk production of the mother and lower her energy level.
Sexual Desire
Fatigue, adaptation to parental role, time devoted to baby care, physical or emotional complications and hormonal changes reduce sexual desire in the mother after delivery. Once she has adapted to the situation, she should once again enjoy intimacy and sexual relations with the man.
Couples resume sexual relations several weeks after childbirth. Mothers can wait even longer if their vagina continues to be sensitive. If they are still bleeding or if they are very tired.. It should be noted that during breastfeeding the mother’s baby releases hormones that can prevent her vagina from properly lubricating itself. If need be, she should use a water-based lubricant to facilitate caressing of the genital organ and penetration.
Contraception
Giving birth to children demand a great deal of energy. Mothers are advised to avoid too close pregnancies. Mothers and partners should consult a doctor pr mid wife for family planning assistance. If a woman is not breastfeeding, she should seek advice promptly because ovulation usually resumes between the third and sixth seek after childbirth.
Mothers should not rely solely on breastfeeding to avoid getting pregnant, because it is not a reliable birth control method. Exclusive breastfeeding delays ovulation and can prevent pregnancy by 98 per cent of the time, when the mother has not menstruated or lost blood after the 56th day (8 weeks) following childbirth.
Exclusive breastfeeding is when the infant under 6 months of age is breastfed day and night on demand and the child is not consuming any other milk or foods and is not using a pacifier. At this time, the baby does not sleep more than 6 consecutive hours at night.
Birth Control
When a mother is controlling birth she is advised not to use the conventional contraceptive pill that combines estrogen and progesterone before she has weaned her baby. It reduces milk production. The birth-control pill Micronor (Norethindrone) is a better choice. The doctor or midwife may also suggest progesterone in injections, and when the production of milk decreases, the mother should consult an expert in breastfeeding issues. The natural Billing contraceptive methods and symptom-thermic methods are effective and very satisfactory, but demand attention.
Mother not Breastfeeding Contraception
The methods mentioned here work and are suitable, but the mother may want to take the birth control pill. If possible, she has to wait until the menstruation resumes and the menstrual cycle is re-established normally.
Breastfeeding and Diet
The mother’s diet does not need to be perfect in order to produce quality milk. But the mother must eat properly to re-establish her nutritional reserves after pregnancy and childbirth, in order to avoid exhaustion.
Apart from taking three meals a day, the breastfeeding mother is advised to take several snacks depending on her appetite. Mothers should eat healthy food, fruits, vegetables, muffins, bread, nuts, cheese and yogurt.
Mothers are not required to eat too much, but have to maintain adequate portion sizes as it was in the case during pregnancy. There are four food groups: grain products, vegetables and fruits, and meat and alternatives, and milk products. A mother who eats well or properly, does not need to take vitamins or mineral supplements, even while breastfeeding.
Milk Products
Milk products provide protein and calcium which two nutrients that are very important for breastfeeding.
Fish
Some fish species absorb pollutants, which enter breastmilk and can harm the baby. Mothers should avoid sword fish, shark and fresh or frozen tuna. Other fish like bass, northern pike, walleyed pike, muskellunge, lake trout, lobster tomalley liver, caviar and fish liver should also be avoid.
Water
If a mother’s urine is dark or cloudy, it means that she is not drinking enough water. The mother should drink water, milk, eat fruits or vegetable juice, drink herbal tea and take broth. However, it has been observed that drinking large amounts of water does increase the amount of milk that the breast would produce.
Reminder
It is important to note that some foods alter the taste of milk, but infants adopt with time. However, some babies will react badly to certain foods. When this happens, you should stop eating the foods for several days and then re-introduce later gradually, while monitoring the child’s reaction
Constipation
It is normal not to have a bowel movement for 2 or 3 days after a vaginal birth. It will be between 3 – 5 days for caesarian section. Beyond these periods, expect to have constipation due to the pain stemming from the episiotomy, hormones, lack of activity, dehydration and administered medication.
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First-time Father Initiation for Mother Support

Men’s Involvement for Breastfeeding Protection and Promotion
James Achanyi-Fontem, Coordinator – WABA MWG
Preparing to become a first-time father and play fatherhood role from the time of the conception of the partner is exciting and means embarking upon a remarkable adventure. The secrets of fatherhood will be revealed to the first-time family head or parent through the activities of this Men’s Initiative web site “Not for Fathers Only”, as many will be expressing their happiness and the pride of fatherhood.
The challenge is that, not enough is said about paternity, as men are relegated to the position of simple providers. It is the role of the men’s initiative to come up with new models of activities to involve husbands and partners for the effective protection and promotion of mother support for breastfeeding.
New Role
Men await their new born babies for a period of nine months. Within this period, men monitor the pregnancies, though a few attend pre-natal lectures with their partners, and only feel the baby move in the womb with sharing the same bed.
When the baby arrives, their lives change dramatically, and their schedules and homes are turned up side down. The men’s initiative aims at eliminating panic during the pregnancy and delivery preparatory fatherhood period.
Caring for Baby
There is no easy formula for becoming a prefect father or parent. The best way is to participate in caring for the baby. What is important is that the father and mother agree on shared values and anticipate results.
Support for family circle
Support from family and friends have value during the period of adaptation. The father should accept offers of help, by delegating household tasks and meal preparations. Men should protect both the couple’s and family’s intimacy when giving help. One has to be different as parent, which is as a father and mother, because parenting is learned day by day.
Feeding the baby together
During the first six (6) months, breastfeeding is by far the best for a baby. Men can play key roles as partners for the mother and child. A breastfeeding mother needs encouragement, especially when she is going through a difficult period.
Men can assist in shopping, cooking and laundry. Men can learn a lot about their babies by changing her diaper, when it is wet, holding her, rocking her, singing to her, bathing her or simply carrying her to the mother for nursing.
Men should learn how to put the babies on their chest to get them to sleep. All children need reassuring, comforting, physical contact with their fathers. Let the children teach the fathers their role. They do not expect you to be prefect, but to be present.
Men at Work
Men’s involvement and participation can make all the difference in women’s lives due to number factors:
1. Men often decide whether a daughter will get married young or have a chance to complete an education. Early marriage can lead to high risk pregnancy.
2. Men play a key role in deciding how many children the couple will have, and when. These decisions can shape the future of the whole family.
3. Men often make financial decisions and some of the decisions can be a matter of life or death.
4. As political, community and religious leaders, men shape public opinion. Their support for women’s health and well being can affect the care that pregnant women receive.
5. In the absence of a vaccine or cure, men’s behaviour is crucial to preventing the spread of HIV. Women are increasingly at risk.
Importance of fatherhood relationship
While the father-child relationship is different from mother-child relationship, it is very important for both girls and boys. A father often establishes special bond with a new born by playing with her. Such bonds become more important over time.
A father provides a model that is different from that of the mother. He likes to play actively with his child, and is usually stricter and often more inclined to encourage the child to explore her environment and search for independence.
This relationship affects interaction between the child and her peers and adults. However, the mother and father must agree on family rules and their application.
Activities
1. Attract attention by inviting politicians and celebrities to make public statements and take a leadership role in promoting men’s involvement in maternal health.
2. Include men in the planning and execution of activities for the promotion and protection of breastfeeding.
3. Organize public contests for posters, essays and plays.
4. Involve men in promoting Gender Equity and Women’s Reproductive Health.
Support the WABA Men’s Initiative by filling the endorsement form at www.waba.org.my/men/and send it to us.Click here to return to the home page http://cameroonlink.blogspot.com

MWG TAKES OFF WITH NEW WABA CYCLE

MWG TAKES OFF WITH NEW WABA CYCLE
Roseline Ajonglefac , Cameroon Link

The International Coordinator of WABA Men’s initiative received the first men’s special fellowship offer as senior breastfeeding advocate to attend training on in-house policy orientation and participate in the 7th Global Breastfeeding Partners Meeting (GBPM VI) in Penang, Malaysia from September 21 to October 15. The orientation on WABA policy and philosophy took place from 20th September to 6th October 2008, followed by a complimentary feeding and food workshop (7th -8th October and later the Global Breastfeeding Partners Meeting (9th-10th October). Special strategic meetings on how to involve men in all regions took place thereafter with leaders of well established taskforces and working groups.
There was a lot learned from the presentations, group discussions and exchanges in plenary during the sessions. It would be recalled that the orientation training came as a result of the consultation with members of the WABA Men’s, and Gender Working Group, and Mother Support Task Force that led to the appointment of James Achanyi-Fontem as the Coordinator of the Men's Working Group (MWG). The position was formerly held by Co-coordinators, Ray Maseko(Swaziland) and Per Gunner Engblom(Sweden) since October 2006.
After the introduction of what WABA is all about and who are the icons by Julianna Lim Abdullah, WABA Coordinator of information, education and communication, James was treated to several planning meetings with the Co-Directors, Susan Siew and Sarah Amin on the direction of activities.
During these meetings, the co-directors encouraged all the staff and icons to join them in welcoming James to the exciting and challenging role of coordinating the MWG agenda. The Secretariat team, particularly, Julianna, worked with James on various activities successfully during the three-week internship, which resulted to the initiation of a plan of action for the period running from 2008 to 2010. Latsmi Menon who coordinates the Gender Working Group also held meetings to high light the work done by WABA so far and where the men’s working group is to join for the promotion of gender initiatives considered vital for moving breastfeeding protection and promotion one step ahead. Julianna is the liaison person at the WABA Secretariat to support the MWG Coordinator in his efforts.
Policy orientation sessions resulted in defining clear areas of work and collaboration with the different taskforces, working groups and regional core partners and organizations. Some of the areas include:
* continued involvement of men in World Breastfeeding Week and other social mobilization activities;
* joint and/or coordinated advocacy strategies on various key issues (mother support, women and work, HIV, birthing, BFHI, community support and assistance), including through a Rapid Response System;
* increased advocacy to health professionals and around the Doctors’ Initiative and addressing challenges in the medical curricula;
* complementing Core Partner (CP) skills and activities in capacity building/ training, including pre and in-service training and counseling skills;
* increased focus on gender mainstreaming, men and youth outreach and involvement;
* joint development of breastfeeding/IYCF materials and dissemination of such materials;
* continued coordination among the CPs through the annual GBPMs and the Global Forum for breastfeeding promotion scheduled in Quebec, Canada in 2010 and,
* continuation of fellowship programmes at the WABA Secretariat with CPs and network partners.
According to WABA co-directors, prosperity is particularly an important theme as all of us move from one project cycle to another. The new WABA Strategic Plan which runs from 2008 – 2012 was discussed and adopted by members of the steering committee in Penang. The SP has some new programme focus, especially in the area of capacity building and e-activism. This is justified by the fact that, « Not For Fathers Only » e-newsletter will be launched in January 2009 to focus on men’s involvement activities with special focus on the regional snap shots. The MWG will also continue to contribute to the MSTF e-newsletter.
It was obvious from the look of issues during the GBPM that starting from 2007 the WABA Secretariat had been focusing on sowing the harvest for the new cycle and continues to do so by raising new funds for breastfeeding work to continue to meet the challenges.
Some of the key issues of concerns for 2008 and beyond brought up by the GBPM VII and which need addressing by the network at large are:
* corporate globalization and its negative impact on breastfeeding and optimal IYCF;
* commercial complementary and infant feeding ;
* public private partnerships (PPP) - why should the breastfeeding movement be concerned?
* reinvigorating UN initiatives especially the BFHI globally.
All CPs agreed that these issues are of concern and WABA icons developed position papers that were shared with the network representatives from the regions.

Profile of WABA MWG Coordinator

Coordinator, WABA Men's Working Group

Following a consultation with members of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) Men's, and Gender Working Group, and Mother Support Task Force, the International Secreatariat was pleased to make it public that James Achanyi-Fontem is the Coordinator of the Men's Working Group (MWG) from 2008. This position was formerly held by Co-coordinators, Ray Maseko (Swazliand) and Per Gunner Engblom (Sweden) since Oct 2006.
James Achanyi-Fontem is 53 years of age and is a Health Journalist and Communication Consultant. He is also a father of six children (3 Girls and 3 Boys) and a grand father of three (two boys and one girl). All of them were breastfed. As the first son of his family, he was breastfed for 36 months. His grand children were also exclusively breastfed for the first six months.
He worked as a health journalist and broadcaster for 30 years with the Cameroon Radio Television, CRTV before retiring. He is now the National Coordinator of Cameroon Link, an umbrealla registered charity, not-for-profit organisation, involved in the promotion of, community health, humanitarian assistance, socio-economic development, and human rights advocacy created. He is also the current Chairperson of the Cameroon Breastfeeding Protection and Promotion Task Force, the Mutual Health Insurance Group of Bonassama Health District and Coordinator of the Anti-Corruption Committee of the Health District Hospital of Bonassama. He Coordinates the IBFAN Cameroon Group and Fine Forest Foundation Cameroon activities. He is also the Chairperson of the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding. He had held the positions of Editorial Advisor and Editor-in-chief of a some five different national tabloid newspapers and magazines from 1984 to 2004. James has been an active member of the Men’s Initiative, contributing to the Regional Snapshots project and through Cameroon Link. He has done a tremendous amount of work on issues surrounding support and training for fathers and families before his appointment as the Internataional Coordinator of the WABA Men’s Working Group.
Since his appointment, James Achanyi-Fontem has initiated a number of ways to get men involved in the protection and promotion of breastfeeding.
Why Involve Men in Breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding is an important part of Infant and Young Child Feeding, Reproductive Health and Nutrition. Reproductive Health biologically involves the man and the woman and the attitudes of men towards breastfeeding strongly influence the mother’s own point of view.
Men are generally one important source of support in mother’s decision to breastfeed and in its successful implementation. There is also a positive connection between the degree of men’s support and the total duration of breastfeeding.
A Men’s Involvement in the breastfeeding situation strengthens his relationship to both the mother and the baby, and helps him to develop his fatherhood role in general. Highlighting the father’s role in more general terms like parenting can broaden the argument for mother support, which is beneficial for both and the baby.

Advantages of a Men’s role in Fatherhood
Acclaimed researchers quote several advantages when both the father and mother are active and engaged in child care, compared to when only one is active. For example:
• Children psychological development and social skills are favoured by communication with committed father and mother.
• Men develop their empathic ability during pre-natal and post natal consultations and during this period, women are generally educated and trained on child bearing.
• A more equal division of responsibilities increases the possibilities for both parents to fill many roles within the family complex, which tend to make them more satisfied with their lives.
• Cultures with committed men to child care have reduced hostility and violence against women.
Men’s Role As Gender Issue
Gender is considering masculinity versus feminity, which is a system of continually evolving social practices that define roles, assigns resources and establishes power relations.
From the above observation, gender roles are dynamic, constructed through social interaction, reinforced and reproduced by social institutions. Gender equity and equality work towards a society where women and men have equal opportunities, rights and obligations in all aspects of life. From a gender perspective, how paid work and care giving are combined, reflects assumptions and norms in the gendered situations of family and work.
Gender researcher (Linda Haas and others) claim that as long as women are assumed to be more responsible than men for child care, especially qs women’s role as mothers will continue to be a major obstacle to their achieving economic and social equality with men. Therefore, fathers’ involvement in child care including breastfeeding is clearly a gender issue.
Enabling Men to be Supportive
Men’s Education
Many men need to be better prepared to assume a role as breastfeeding supporter. Studies have shown that breastfeeding education and promotion programmes have effects on knowledge, attitudes and support for breastfeeding. Evidence suggests that even simple and inexpensive interventions can increase the level of breastfeeding knowledge of men.
It is important that men understand what it means for a woman, both physically and psychologically, to go through pregnancy, delivery and start breastfeeding. Well informed men know the importance of being patient and sensitive as the mothers recover from the baby delivery experience and gain confidence in breastfeeding.
By importing the same knowledge and sharing the breastfeeding moments, the man helps the new mother to gain breastfeeding skills. He can also protect her from misinformation about breastfeeding in the community, or even from friends and relatives. Sharing child care and responsibilities of the life strengthens parental relationship in the difficult period of transition and adjustment.
Most preparatory courses for parents are organized at the pre-natal and post natal units of health facilities. The education is generally of a practical nature and focuses on medical factors of pregnancy, baby delivery and breastfeeding. This important forum involves issues of social and individual changes, and creates space for especially men to reflect on their situation and role. By focusing on and activating men, their role strengthens and they get a wider knowledge, more adjusted to their life situation and thus more useful to them.
Many different ways exist to construct a forum for men, where they can get information and discuss parenthood. The right way to trigger the process depends on the interests and needs of the men’s support group created which we aim at. Men’s groups operate differently a few months before baby delivery and differently thereafter. It is generally easier to reach men before baby delivery compared to a few days and weeks after. The period immediately after baby delivery is the time when most decisions about how the baby will be feed and nourished.
The most crucial step is how you invite men to participate in decision making with their partners. The knowledge and experiences of the resource persons during this period of fatherhood counseling reflects the importance of the information, message and the type of the decision that would be taken. It is important to use well known and accepted channels for specific messages.
To reach men, it might be most appropriate that the counselor is a man, because birds of the same feathers fly together. The counseling forum should be able to address other complimentary issues that men would like to discuss. Most women do not talk when men are around and even some men also do not voice their opinions when women are around.
That is why, it is advised to organize separate counseling sessions for men and women, as well as joint session with equal numbers for both target groups.
Men’s Support Groups
Men need support to be supportive. It is a matter of team work and reciprocity. A man that views himself as a subordinate in his own family and plays his role only out of expectation, does not usually give high quality support due to the lack of confidence.
It is important for women to trust their partners to win their confidence. When a man is confident, he obviously joins his partner in child care sharing of responsibilities. The man should be motivated to understand the advantages of spending time with the baby to encourage attachment, as this is beneficial for the well being of the whole family.
Before becoming a first-time mother, women have the advantage of getting information from counselors or health consultants during the pre and post natal period. Men have a right to this counseling opportunity too, but they are not offered these rights in health facilities due to shortages of staff. This explains why, it is not often expected of men to engage in caring for the new born. WABA Men’s Initiative aims at reversing this situation.
Mother often need time and space for relaxation, especially when the baby is anxious or ill. If baby – father attachment had been encouraged immediately after delivery, the man will help out in such situations. This will allow the mother to be able to be alone during her relaxation period, to rest and regain strength without having to worry about the two others. This procedure requires that the mother is willing to have confidence in the father that he will care for the baby well.
It is also know that breastfeeding can sometimes inhibit fathers from developing close relationship with their children and this has a negative effect on parenthood relations. Most often at this time, men feel excluded, jealous and resentful to the detriment of breastfeeding success and to the relationship between the father and the mother. Helping men to find other ways and situations where they can develop a close relationship with their children will be important and necessary. Men need to be offered the knowledge and support to minimize negative effects in the family due to breastfeeding.
Me also sometimes feel neglected and made disassociated by relatives, friends and even the maternity services. Men should be made to feel themselves as parents and not only like baby sitters or child care takers. The maternity services should develop strategies to improve on this relationship between the couple.
Giving the Right Information
Information can, if delivered in a right way influence men and change their views and behaviour. Engaging with family professionals can impact positively on fathers’ negative behaviour and parenting styles, increase their knowledge and understanding of child development, increase their confidence in their parenting skills, and lead to more sensitive and positive parenting and to greater involvement in infant and child care, and in interaction with children.
Men should be encouraged to be present during delivery by their partners. Their presence during delivery seems to have positive effects on the wellbeing of both the mother and the baby. Having the father nearby during the first hour of labour seems to make it easier for mother to successfully initiate breastfeeding and also seems to positively influence the duration of breastfeeding.
Men’s Attitude towards Breastfeeding
Some men have misconception and negative attitudes towards breastfeeding. To overcome these obstacles, issues of breastfeeding need to be discussed with both men and women during pregnancy and childbirth preparation visits. Health professional should make information available to both the father and mother.
The two most common perceptions with negative attitudes of men is the exposure of the mother’s breast and that breastfeeding will make them less attractive. Actually, there is not much knowledge about why some fathers have negative views about breastfeeding. If we knew more about this, better measures would be taken to correct the situation.
As described above, a mother’s perception of her partner’s attitudes towards breastfeeding influences her choice of infant feeding method. However, she is often wrong about this. Scientific research has shown that men may have more favourable attitudes towards breastfeeding than their partners think.
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression is a common affliction which severely can lower women’s incentive to breastfeed and in other ways cause difficulties to babies’ health. If rightly informed, men can be made to care for the psychological health of their partner, as they are likely to know them rather well and notice if there is some serious trouble arising. If necessary, help can be requested through contact with the local breastfeeding counsellor or health consultant.
First-time Fathers
First-time fathers can be seen as a special risk group. They have a difficult time identifying themselves as fathers and surprisingly enough, health professionals tend to neglect them. With young couples, the quality of the relationship between both seems to be the most important factor for high men’s involvement the months after childbirth. This another argument for involving the importance of parenthood in the information offered at the maternity health care centre by professionals.
Learning about Gender Issues
A men’s relation to breastfeeding aims at improving on the environment and perceptions of what their role should be. Traditionally, caring for children is not an important part of the concept of masculinity, as it is the concept of feminity. Gender issues must be discussed and men’s ideas about masculinity must be challenged.
Just like the mother, fathers need knowledge and incentives to be supportive. Attitudes concerning breastfeeding are influenced from all kinds of sources surrounding the family – relatives, friends, practitioners, legislators – and these attitudes can be linked to values of lifestyle and stereotype gender roles. In perspective, breastfeeding should be a concern, not only for the father, but for all men.
Men’s Initiative Activities
1. Breastfeeding Promotion and protection through information and education
2. Parenting interventions focused on Gender Equality Promotion
3. Organization of capacity building training for health professionals on methods to reach, educate and empowerment men and youths on breastfeeding promotion
4. Prepare course tools for gender equality promotion in the context of breastfeeding to transform Men’s Support Groups into Breastfeeding Advocate.
5. Advocate for maternity legislation for the protection of women and child rights to breastfeeding.
6. Encourage women to let their partners know that they approve of their exclusively breastfeeding babies for the first six months with complimentary feeding thereafter, and continued breastfeeding up to 24 months and above.
7. Advocacy for legislature to give more opportunities to engage more in concerns of home and child care, and mothers should be given the possibilities to engage in bread-winning jobs.
8. Encourage the creation of many Men’s Support Groups, especially for assisting infants in vulnerable life situation.
9. Increase the knowledge of fathers of “newly born”, who do not have all the facts necessary for appropriate and adequate child care.
10. Collect information and snap shots for publication in the e-newsletter « Not for Fathers Only » as exchange channel of experiences and promotion of dialogue.
It is recalled that, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is a global network of individuals and organisations concerned with the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding worldwide based on the Innocenti Declarations, the Ten Links for Nurturing the Future and the WHO/UNICEF Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. Its core partners are International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), La Leche League International (LLLI), International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), Wellstart International and Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM). WABA is in consultative status with UNICEF and an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).
WABA, PO Box 1200, 10850 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: 604-658 4816 Fax: 604-657 2655
Email: waba@streamyx.com
Website:www.waba.org.my

Initiative D´Hommes de WABA

Bienvenue à l’Initiative D'hommes de WABA
Adresse de contact :
James Achanyi Fontem
Coordinateur International
Initiative D´Hommes de WABA
BP 1460 Douala,Region du Littoral,Cameroun
Tel (237)77758840 - Fax (237)33391356
Email: camlink99@gmail.com
Breastfeeding: Go Natural!
Members of the steering committee, core partners, focal points, team leaders of the taskforces and technical working groups of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) ended the GBPM VII 2008 and a workshop on how to promote breastfeeding from 6 months to 24 months and beyond.
The global call by WABA si that breastfeeding mothers should go natural and that they have to be supported in various ways. On the eve of the events, the 54 participants from 24 countries in five continents of our planet were treated to a rich motivating lecture by 80 year-old Professor, Dr. Michael Latham of the United States of America. Cameroon, Mozambique, Ghana and Zimbabwe represented the Africa continent during the fruitful exchanges, as Prof. Michael Latham presented all the positive arguments for the theme of the workshop and the GBPM.
The Health Development NGO "Cameroon Link" represented the Central African sub region and Cameroon at the meetings and workshop. In effect, from the 7th to 10th October 2008 there was a lot to learn and brainstrom as far as protecting and promoting breastfeeding from 6 months to 24 months and beyond was concerned.
WABA made a good selection of high level experienced university professors to interact with well known breastfeeding consultants and activists of breastfeeding protection and promotion to put the hostilities to breastfeeding by formula promoters on the world lens.
This is judged from the testimonies presented by Prof. Penny Van Esterik of York University, Canada and Dr. Anwar Fazal, WABA Chairperson Emeritus, on the knowledgeability of the guest speaker who was at the same time celebrating 45 years of breastfeeding protection interventions and his 80th birth day.
Both spoke on the numerous advantages of breatfeeding as compared to infant formulas to justify the continuous fight to maintain breastmilk on the agenda of infant and young child feeding throughout the world. It is important to note that it took 45 years to convince WHO and UNICEF to accept the policy of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and complimentary feeding thereafter with continued breastfeeding for 24 months and beyond.
With this, Prof. Michael Latham emphasized that it is now the time to push breastfeeding from 6 months to 24 months and beyond, because lengthening the duration of breastfeeding is another entry port for 'Going Natural'.
The workshop and meetings that took place from the 7th to 11th October, 2008 were chaired by Felicity Savage, the current WABA Chairperson from a United Kingdom Health Consultancy Organisation. Felicity Savage pilots activities of the steering committee of WABA. Dr. Carol Williams also from the UK emphasized that it is not only important to know what to give the baby, but also how to give it.
It was observed that some children gain weight during care in the health facilities, but the same children die later when they return home, just because the mother is not well counselled and directed on the different steps to protect and care for her baby.
Facilitating the workshop, Carol Williams touched on the pertinent issues and problems encountered by mother, families and communities during the first six months of lactation of the baby after delivery. She told the audience that the problems are different compared to those encountered when breastfeeding has to be prolonged from 6 months to 24 months and beyond.
Statistics from the United Nations agencies, she went on, show that 1.3 million infants die every year and that infant health was a complex issue with a continuous process. She added, that socialization, security and trust are achieved with the baby only through breastfeeding and attachment. Separating the baby form the mother changes the attitudes of babies and this is due to the lack of attachment.
For more on this report, click the link www.waba.org.my or www.worldbreastfeedingwwek.org. More on the workshop and meetings will be brought to you through the YOUtube broadcasts at: camlink99 and http://cameroonlink.blogspot.com/
Initiative D'hommes de WABA
Fondé en octobre 2006, l’Initiative D'hommes de WABA est un développement et majoration continue de l'idée d'impliquer des hommes, dans l'effort à protéger, promouvoir et soutenir l’allaitement maternel. L'idée initiale était née pendant le Forum Global 2 de WABA, Nourrissant L'avenir: Défie d’Allaitement maternel dans le 21è Siècle en septembre 2002 à Arusha, Tanzanie. Le forum a conduit à la formation de L'initiative Globale pour Le soutien de Père (GIFS).
En Octobre 2006, dans la conjoncture de l’atélier de formation du Genre de WABA et le seminaire des Jeunes, une réunion d'hommes en assemblée à essayer de revivifier l’ effort de GIFS. Pendant les déliberations les membres ont decouvertes que le terme "père" était trouvé limiter et le groupe a voulu élargir l'étendue de travail qui conduit à la naissance d’Initiative d’Hommes de WABA.
L'initiative est coordonnée par le Groupe de Travail D'hommes (MWG) comprenant d'huit hommes de la Suède,l’ Inde, le Pakistan, la Swaziland, le Mexique et l’Argentine.
La vision
Un monde où allaitement maternel est une norme culturelle et où hommes soutiennent des femmes et familles à nourrir et donnent les soins optimal à leurs nourrissons et jeunes enfants, contribuant ainsi à un juste et équitable société du genre, saine et égale.
La mission
Créer un environnement permettant aux hommes, particulièrement les pères, à participer activement aux activités et prennant les responsabilités d’autre part avec les femmes dans le soins optimal pour leurs nourrissons et jeunes enfants, participent aux plaidoiries, formation et renforcement des capacités bâtissant des populations.
Les buts
• à augmenter et améliorer la participation de pères dans l’attachement parentale et soutien à l’allaitement maternel.
• à augmenter la participation d'hommes, surtout les pères, dans l’encadrement des soins des enfants, à prendre les responsabilités domestiques, et à soulever la sensibilisation d'hommes sur les droits de la femme et les droits de l 'enfant, participer à la recherche des solutions aux problèmes rélative à la santé de reproduction et promotion des rélations sexuel sûr.
• à soutenir les efforts qui assurent un plus grande égalité de genre dans toutes sociétés et dans l'ordre permettant un environnement sain pour l’ allaitement maternel, la promotion de la santé de le famille et le bien être..
LES OBJECTIFS
• à inclure les pères dans la programmation des activités et services pre - natale, post-natale, information, education et communication, des services entremises natales et formation parentale;
• à développer les profils de pays qui fourniront un image globale de la participation d'hommes dans l'alimentation des enfants et aux bons soins de nourrissons et jeunes enfants;
• à disséminer les connaissances spécifiques et les avantages de la participation de pères à tous parents;
• à améliorer réseau et liens avec des groupes de soutien connexes de cibles, particulièrement les groupes d'hommes, à promouvoir le soutien des pères;
• à recommander un amélioration de la législature sur le soutien et de la participation maximume d'hommes dans les soins des enfants et soutien parentale;
• à agir comme un stimulus si bien que l'établissement de l’initiative de soutien de Père porte globalement des résultats positives.

Le Bulletin d’Information
Le MWG collabore avec le Groupe de Travail de Soutien de Mère (MSTF) dans la confection et diffusion d’e-newsletter qui publie des articles sur La mère et le Soutien de père. L’ e-newsletter est produit en quatre(4) langues: L'Anglais, Français, Espagnol et Portugais,trois fois par an. Lé-newsletter en anglais et Francais uniquement pour les hommes sera produit deux fois par an.
Pour souscrire au WABA MWG e-newsletter qui a des articles sur le soutien de père et les mise à jour d'initiative D'hommes, il faut nous écrire.
Pour contribuer les articles sur les leçons apprises sur Le soutien de père et le soutien D'hommes de l’allaitement maternel, il faut envoyer un email à adresse de WABA: waba@streamyx.com
WABA MWG Seedgrant
Le seedgrant a pour but l’établissement ou renforcement des groupes de soutien de père dans la protection de l’allaitement maternel, la promotion et le soutien dans le monde entier.
La sectionne du Site Internet
Les revues et mise à jour d'initiative d’Hommes sont publiés dans la sectionne du site internet de WABA. Nous vous invitons à soumettre des articles, les histoires, le rapport des recherches, les images des activités intéressantes, les maillons des hommes/pères au site de WABA. Vous trouveriez la liste d'événements pertinents à l’ initiative de l'Hommes sur le site aussi. Pour soumettre vos contributions, il faut envoyer matières et informations à WABA: waba@streamyx.com
La feuille d’Activité
Le MWG produit un feuille d'activité sur le père/ le Soutien d’Hommes. Un papier préliminaire de discussion a été produit. Contacter WABA pour une copie de ce papier de discussion.
Les Images Régionales
Ce projet vise à produire un outil à recueillir des informations et à obtenir une meilleure compréhension de la situation de paternité et des hommes dans des pays différents (ou régions ) . L’image permettra au MWG à améliorer les strategies de travail d'initiative plus efficacement. Le projet initial a commencé avec un groupe de coeur de cinq pays, notamment la Suède, le Pakistan, le Mexique, le Cameroun et la Mozambique. Il faut nous joindre pour la promotion de l'activité d’image Régionale. Contactez WABA à : waba@streamyx.com pour plus d’information.
La campagne D{Adhesion
Nous continuons la campagne de recrutement pour le soutien d'initiative D'Hommes pendant les événements et conférences, et des occasions de diffusion des activités de WABA.
Le Noyau du Groupe & Les Membres
Le Groupe de Travail D'Hommes (MWG)
Peter Briefe & Par Gunnar Engblom (Suède), Ray Maseko & Vulie Kunene (Swaziland), Oamar Naseem (Pakistan), Arturo Arteage Villaroel (Mexique), Santiago Valone (Argentine), Subrata Dutta (Inde), Julianna Lim Abdullah & Susan Siew (Malaisie).
Les Supporteurs de l'initiative D'Hommes
Erwin Cachuela (Philippines), Jenefer (TOTO) D. Dela Cruz (Philippines), K. Gounaseger (Inde), Theodore Goutas (Grèce), Rulyadi Hadinoto (Indonésie), Mariam Labbok (Amérique), Andy Martahan Andreas (Indonésie), Md Mahabub Morshed (Bangladesh), Jean Musisi (Uganda), Inyoman Pastika (Indonésie), Mosadeq Sahebdin (Mauritius), Fernando Daniel Vallone ( Argentine ), James Achanyi-Fontem (Cameroon), Diogo Mboa (Mozambique).
Le Soutien de L’Initiative d'Hommes
Vous êtes invités à soutenir l’Initiative d'Hommes de WABA en l'endossant sur le site internet. Le formulaire de soutien est disponible sur le site à: http://www.waba.org.my/men/
L'alliance Mondiale pour L'action d’allaitement maternel (WABA) est un réseau global d'individus et organisations impliqués sur la protection, promotion et soutien d'allaitement maternel basé sur la Déclaration d’Innocenti, les Dix Liens pour Nourrir Le Futur et la Stratégie Globale de L’OMS/UNICEF pour la nutrition des nourrissons et Jeune Enfant Alimentant. Ses partenaires de coeur sont le Réseau International D'action pour la Nutrition Infantile (IBFAN), La Leche Ligue Internationale (LLLI), International Lactation Consultants Association Des conseillers (ILCA), Wellstart International, et l’Académie de Médicament Allaitement (ABM). WABA est dans le statut consultatif avec Fonds D'enfants des Nations Unies (UNICEF) et un ONG dans Le statut Consultatif Spécial avec Le Conseil Economique et Sociale des Nations Unies (ECOSOC).

WABA MWG Activities/Programmes

WABA Men’s Initiative
Activities/Programmes
1. Newsletter
MWG e-newsletter is produced 2 times each year in English and French to highlight positive roles of men in breastfeeding promotion by supporting women, mothers and children.
The MWG also collaborates with WABA’s Mother Support Task Force (MSTF) in their e-newsletter which carries articles on Mother Support /Men’s Support. MSTFe-newsletter is produced in 4 languages, i.e. English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
To contribute articles and lessons learnt on Men’s Support, please send an email to: waba@streamyx.com

2. Seedgrant for Men’s Initiative
The programme aims to establish or strengthen Men’s Support Groups and related activities such as Father-friendly Community Initiatives (FFCI) for breastfeeding protection, promotion and support worldwide.

3. Information service through
Web-section
Make periodic review and up date of the Men’s Initiative section on the WABA website. Submission of articles, stories, research papers and pictures on interesting activities are welcome. Links to Men’s Support websites and list of events relevant to the Men’s Initiative are made available.

4. Information Materials: Activity Sheet
The MWG Activity Sheet highlights areas of interest and what men in diverse roles and sectors can do to expand activities at regional level and country levels.

5. Regional Snapshot
This project aims to produce a tool to collect information and to obtain a better understanding of the men’s situation and of fatherhood situation in different countries or regions. The Snapshot enables the MWG to strategize for its work more effectively. To join the regional snapshot activity, please contact WABA at: waba@streamyx.com.

6. Gender sensitization
This aims at promoting gender sensitization among men in and outside the breastfeeding network to fulfill the mission and goals of the Men’s Initiative.

7. Advocacy
To promote the objectives of the Men’s Initiatives at various events, such as, on UN Days and during outreach to other Men’s Groups with press releases, etc.

8. Father’s Forum
Let us know how keen you are in the Father’s Forum. Please register your interest and ideas at our website

9. Outreach Campaigns
There is an on-going outreach campaign for Men’s Initiative endorsement at events, conferences and from networking opportunities. Please endorse at: www.waba.org.my/men/

WABA MWG Key Issues & Challenges

WABA Men’s Working Group
Key Issues & Challenges

• Men are not actually engaged in maternal and child care issues
• Men and youth are minimally involved in gender sensitive breastfeeding support activities that reduce inequalities between male and female.

Responses/Actions

Social Mobilization
• Collaborate with Gender Working Group (GWG) and the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) team to mobilize and sustain positive men’s and youth initiatives that are gender sensitive within breastfeeding promotion and protection actions.
• Men’s WG to participate in WBW developments, plan and conduct innovative actions

Information
• Produce men’s e-newsletter
• Produce and disseminate educational materials to increase men’s awareness in order to support women, especially pregnant and breastfeeding women.
• Produce sensitization materials in collaboration with the HIV Taskforce for men’s information, education and communication activities within the communities.

Advocacy
• Advocate for country legislature to give more opportunities to engage more men in concerns of home, parenting and child care.
• Advocate for formulating and implementing maternity protection legislation based on ILO C193 recommendations.
• Promote advocacy on broader objectives of Men’s Initiative at various forums on Code Implementation in the regions and countries with high violate rates.

Capacity Building
• Conduct gender training for men’s and youth in the breastfeeding network with existing gender training efforts.
• Promote legislature that gives women and mothers the possibilities to engage in bread-winning jobs.
• Work with Maternity Protection Coalition to increase awareness, particularly men’s role and responsibilities in this area.

Development
• Promote and expand global networking through the regional snap shots.
• Encourage participation in international and regional men’s exchange forums and organize a Men’s/Fathers’ Forum in conjunction with WABA Global Forum 3.
• Participate in international and regional women’s conferences and meetings.