Breastfeeding is as nature intended it to be. Research into breastmilk and lactation provides us with a science behind the act of nature. The world is a vast place and peoples in each region of the world have lived with different weather conditions, housing arrangements, dietary intakes and religious beliefs. The normal act of breastfeeding in its most basic form may not be very different between cultures, however all those other factors impact on breastfeeding outcomes. It is hoped that you will all enjoy the opportunity to expand your knowledge about health, birthing and breastfeeding during the presentation of these sessions. The speakers are all experts in their regions and are directly involved in working with mothers and breastfeeding babies.
Health e-Learning Presentation
Breastfeeding Culture Worldwide
Breastfeeding Culture presentations have been recorded by Healthcare professionals from the following countries.
Breastfeeding Culture in Nigeria: Olasupo Muibat & Musa-Asibi Onyioza- 33 minsMy session will look at traditions, taboos, beliefs about breastfeeding within the Nigerian breastfeeding culture. Most taboos centre on prelacteal feeding, which is still quite dominant with exclusion of colostrum which is known in places as witch’s milk. Some breastfeeding mothers abstain from eating snails, there is also very strong intergenerational ties within breastfeeding culture, all of these we will look at more in depth during my presentation.
Breastfeeding Culture in Rwanda: Marie-Grace Uwase & Paulo Paskazia- 23 minsFor the past few years I have worked as a midwife in a Maternity facility in Kigali. I would like to tell you how we are working in our unit to overcome mothers verbalizing frequently “No Milk Sister” Mothers used to routinely on admission bring in their own formula as the majority thought, and many still do think that they have no milk. Presently 92-94% of our mothers exclusively breastfeed from birth to discharge, it hasn't always been the way; we will discuss this in our presentation.
Breastfeeding Culture in East Arnhem, Australia: Sally Putland- 18 minsThe BFHI accredited maternity unit within Gove district hospital offers a culturally sensitive service that supports and nurtures breastfeeding for the Indigenous women who reside within the East Arnhem region of the Northern Territory These Indigenous women of East Arnhem essentially remain in a traditional environment where Strong cultural beliefs including ceremonial smoking of the baby and the breast embrace breastfeeding as natural, normal and vital for the wellbeing of their children.
Breastfeeding Culture in Israel: Esther Grunis- 28 minsMy presentation covers factoids about Israel: population, birth rate, location of the country, average life span, health system, etc; and statistics about breastfeeding in Israel, including statistics comparing Arab and Jewish women. I'll discuss the lactation services in my hospital, give a picture profile of Israeli families as well as debunking common myths about breastfeeding in Israel.
Breastfeeding Culture in Norway: Rachel Myr- 20 minsWhile most industrialized countries experienced a break in, or near-total loss of, their breastfeeding cultures around the middle of the 20th Century, with resultant low rates of breastfeeding and varying rates of success at turning the trend around in subsequent decades, this did not happen in Norway. I will look at the reasons for the survival in Norway of a very strong cultural norm supporting breastfeeding, and at the status of breastfeeding here today.
Breastfeeding Culture in Singapore: Cynthia Pang- 30 minsSingapore has a population of 3.6 million residents comprising of mainly four ethnic groups namely the Chinese, Malay, Indians and Others. The number of live births is about 38000, with 16000 occurring in public sector hospitals and 22000 in private sector hospitals. Over the last decade, breastfeeding rates in Singapore has improved as shown in the National survey indicating that 95% of the mothers attempted breastfeeding compared to 50% in 1993. However, exclusive breastfeeding rates remain low and sustained breastfeeding at 6 months is also low. Although over the years, with better social economic status and education, more mothers are aware of the benefits of breastfeeding and are making better and informed decision on infant nutrition, traditional practices and beliefs within each ethnic group still play a vital role in influencing their breastfeeding practices. These can have both positive and negative impact on their intention to breastfeed as well as the types and duration of breastfeeding.
