Evaluation And Recommendation Of Midwifery Practice On Breast Feeding

Abstract

Midwifery support is a vital aspect of the health sector for expecting or new mothers, especially after the post-delivery period. This support especially cares and provides accurate information to mothers about the breastfeeding process and period.

Breastfeeding is very important for both the mother and the newborn babies as their health and growth depend more on the mother’s breastfeeds. This has also been a main vision and mission for WHO and UNICEF, and they are looking for an exclusive breastfeeding approach for the UK and European Union (EU) countries.

Midwifery and breastfeeding in Poland used to have a conventional approach, but after seeing how the UK works independently in the same field, steps and recommendations have been given to improve Midwifery support for Breastfeeding in Poland.

Equality Of Human Rights During Maternity Period

A woman must be given equal rights, full dignity and equal opportunities to make her choices equally as a man. Similarly, the period of maternity is more fragile and important in the life of a woman. During this phase, a woman must get extra attention and special care from her surroundings to make her feel happy and prevent her from being degraded and dehumanized.

All European countries must respect the rights of each human being according to the Human Right Act of 1998. Furthermore, the UK has taken a step ahead in Human rights by ratifying the Rule or Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which prohibits pregnancy-related discrimination and requires the provision of healthcare for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Similarly, Poland also follows the same acts on Human rights and human rights for pregnant women. Following the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), many hospitals have started the Baby-friendly Hospital initiative in Poland that promotes safe breastfeeding for infants and also states its benefits to expecting and pregnant women.

The Shift Of Awareness From A Less Conscience To A More Conscience Maternal Care In Poland

Poland, some 30 years back, had a tradition that was very unfamiliar or, in other words, less conscience or educated on maternal care. Pregnant women did not have the right to choose how they gave birth to their babies, how they could be supported by their partners in the delivery ward and, even more surprised, how to share the room with their newborn. This would bring a lack of respect and dignity for the birthing mums, making them feel devoid of human support and will lead to a stressful situation after the birth and also make the breastfeeding process a more painful and complicated one.

The past histories of Breastfeeding after birth were very low in Poland due to a lack of privacy, loneliness and inadequate support during the birth of newborn babies. At that time, most women experienced episodes of shock, felt humiliated and had no choice in the administration of pain relief. Also, babies could not roam with their mothers after birth – this led to the breastfeeding rates being very low.

Since this was a big concern for the women as they had to face huge trauma during birth due to not being able to make decisions, the impact would take its call on the breastfeeding process, which would become very uncomfortable and, in many cases, would affect the newborn’s health lead to low mortality rates compared to the current situation.

The situation of breastfeeding is much more different now, and women are now enjoying their labor; they don’t feel so lonely anymore. Bans on a partner to be on the side of the wife in the delivery room have been removed, and babies are placed in their mother’s arms after birth. This improvement in the hospital has been achieved by the campaign of “Childbirth with Dignity”. This leads to a more joyful experience and more willingness and acceptance for breastfeeding the newborn, leading to a more healthy baby and leading to higher mortality in babies as compared to before.

The Childbirth with Dignity Campaign was carried out with full-on efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Polish Ministry of Health, which improved the way many hospitals operated and, in turn, gave the delivery mothers more confidence, leading to higher breastfeeding acceptance. Breastfeeding is beneficial for infants at birth, and it is recommended that continued breastfeeding must be done after birth for at least six (6) months post-delivery period for a healthier baby and mother. The table below summaries the above data, as can be seen, the participation of mothers during the time of birth and 2-months after the birth period for bread-feeding are having good numbers. This means the campaign’s mission and vision have been successful.

Table 1

Data on the number of mothers who participates in the study

However, the aspect of the breastfeeding process that is not encouraging is the post-delivery period, which is after four months of the newborn baby’s birth. The figures during this period are declining in the acceptance of breastfeeding and this is visible from the table above. From the table, the number of mothers who stopped breastfeeding is increasing in number starting four months from the delivery date.

Reasons For The Decline In Breastfeeding After The Post Delivery Period

Despite many campaigns labeled “Childbirth with Dignity,” there is still a decline in breastfeeding post-delivery period starting four months and onwards. There are two (2) main reasons for the decline of breastfeeding aster post-delivery: lack of education and lack of midwifery support or hospital staff for the same period.

Lack Of Education For Breastfeeding Mother

The lack of a post-delivery supportive program and gathering events that educated the new mothers on the process of breastfeeding and its importance to the newborn baby has led to the mother stopping breastfeeding and switching to formula-based supplements for the baby. Most mothers think that either their babies are not getting enough breast milk or others think they are not producing enough milk. The mother needs to be educated for this period so that they don’t have complaints and thoughts and, in turn, should have an intake of nutrition and necessary experience that would increase the flow of milk and ensure that the baby will get the milk for sustainable growth.

Lack Of Midwifery Support For Post-Delivery Care Period

The post-delivery period is very important for both the Mother and baby, especially for the baby as he needs the mother’s milk for adequate growth and a better future. This requires the mother to breastfeed for at least 12 months, but the reality in Poland is the opposite, as mothers stop breastfeeding starting the 4-month post-delivery period. This is due to a lack of midwifery support staff in this field and a lack of programs and events for the mother to attend. During this period, when mothers visit the clinic, they are not given the right training and advice to have the right intake of supplements and exercise, which will not make them have a negative mindset relating to the breastfeeding process.

Revolutionized Breast-Feeding Practices In The UK

The UK, in contradictory to Poland, has an initiative of Baby baby-friendly approach that has revolutionized the healthcare for newborn and their mothers as part of a wider global partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. WHO and UNICEF work closely with Public Services & NHS in the UK to help and promote Baby Friendliness in Parents to ensure their babies get the love, care and nourishment they need to get the best possible start in life. One of the main approaches they promote in parent-infant relationships is the Skin to Skin approach, which brings the newborn and mother very close to each other.

The main strength and popularity of this program have risen due to its non-discrimination approach to it. The program intends to reach all families regardless of their origin or status. This program is an evidence-based structured program whose main aim and focus is on promoting and delivering real change for mothers and babies so that the bond is very strong from the start. The program is independent as it’s a collaboration between a large network of organizations involving the Government, Public services, Voluntary sectors and families. This approach works to educate and empower all, especially working with families, as they are the ones who will have the biggest change in their lives.

Practices That Have Risen The Interest Of Mothers For Breast Feeding

The UK has adopted some very vital practices for breastfeeding autonomy, which is why the rate of breastfeeding has successfully risen. These practices continue exclusive breastfeeding through proper education, a program to train health professionals and the provision of factual data on breastfeeding against substitute supplements.

• The collaborations between UNICEF and WHO have strongly recommended exclusivity of breastfeeding up to six (6) months of age with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementing food up to two (2) years of age. The mother of the newborn must follow these guidelines for healthier growth of the baby to ensure a better and prosperous start to the life of the newborn.
• Promoting Breastfeeding through education is one of the most important aspects of this program. Educating new mothers on the know-how of Breastfeeding leads to increased acceptance and attachment with the newborn. This programme has introduced an early attachment support program between babies and their mothers to increase not only the bond between them but also to educate the mothers to differentiate between breastfeeding and formula feeding.
• The program to train health professionals is attained through the Staged Accreditation Programme. This trains health professionals, hospitals, health visiting services and children centers to support mothers in breastfeeding and to build a close relationship with the babies. This program further works with Universities and students to provide them with a strong foundation and knowledge on feeding and parent-infant relationships. The major impact of this has helped new mothers who visit clinics to constantly get support and advice on nutrition and exercises that will increase and ease the feeding process, leading to more mothers continuing the feeding. The programme ensures these professionals can provide sensitive and effective care and support for mothers, enabling them to make an informed choice about feeding to get the breastfeeding off to a good start and to overcome any challenges they may face. This has led to the rate of breastfeeding rising by 20%, which is the main vision of UNICEF and WHO on exclusive breastfeeding.
• The provision of factual and accurate advice has also been streamlined due to the collaboration program of WHO and UNICEF. This practice has proven to provide accurate information to mothers on not only Breastfeeding but also on substitute breastfeeding to ensure the baby’s health is protected from the harmful commercial interest of the market substitute.

The implementation of the above Programme and the consistent practices of the collaborated efforts of UNICEF and WHO have witnessed 85%-91% of maternity units and health visiting services across the UK embrace and work towards Baby Friendly Accreditation. Not only this, but the rising numbers came from young mothers who, before the program, were not willing to breastfeed, but the awareness of the program and their involvement have made them learn and change their perspective.

Recommendation For Breast Feeding Practice In Poland

The program that was carefully planned and implemented in the UK also needs to be implemented in Poland to encourage exclusive breastfeeding and to ensure that exclusive breastfeeding is a continuous process and not for the first two (2) or four (4) months of post-delivery period. Also, health professionals need to be trained to provide effective and sensitive care to new mothers to empower and boost their confidence. Furthermore, equip health services appropriately to ensure they provide actual and factual information to the mother along with proper nutritional and exercise-oriented sessions to further encourage and maintain the exclusivity of the breastfeeding vision of UNIFEC and WHO.

The education part for new mothers is more vital and should not be overseen; the program should educate mothers on the advantages of breastfeeding and have in place sessions and events where mothers can come together, communicate, share their experiences on breastfeeding and post-delivery period and enhance the confidence and willingness to continue breastfeeding. These recommendations should increase the rate of new mothers’ desire to breastfeed and achieve a society and generation of more healthy babies that have good growth and a good start to their lives.

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