World Health Organization has decided to celebrate the World Breastfeeding Week every year starting from 1st of August 2011. This is to elaborate the necessity of supporting breastfeeding for the sake of youth. It is also aimed at illustrating strategies through which youth can participate in personal related works. Such a week is also intended to point out the general outcomes resulting from all such common efforts to support, protect and urge breastfeeding all over the world.
Saudi Ministry of Health has attached keen interest on breastfeeding program since 1411H. This has come within the Ministry's care for mothers, children and all its attempts to improve health status of mothers and infants.

Main objectives:
- Increasing rates of breastfeeding.
- Improving practices of feeding infants and children.
- Decreasing rates of deaths and children's diseases.
- Decreasing the potential dangers afflicting both mothers and children when depending on industrial feeding.

Role of Society in supporting breastfeeding program:
To contribute in supporting breastfeeding over the world, this not only requires knowing more about breastfeeding, but it requires more discussions with relatives and friends to support them as well.
World date specified Breastfeeding week: 1-7/8/2011
Local date specified in Saudi Arabia: 3-9/11/1432H, corr. 1-7/10/2001

Theme of the World Breastfeeding Week: 3D Breastfeeding.

Slogan of the Week: "Talk to me! Breastfeeding - a 3D Experience".

 

Objectives of World Breastfeeding Week:
- Urging local communities and Health facilities to utilize latest technologies to communicate with as much people as possible to point out importance of breastfeeding and warn them about the bad effects resulting from industrial substitutes.
- Broadening scope of calling for breastfeeding and let all concerned parties to participate in the related works (youth, men and family organizing).
- Developing and improving level of communications skills in education and health training regarding breastfeeding to get effective participation from youth.
- Establishing and increasing communications networks and opening the appropriate channels among all sectors to avail information about breastfeeding.
- Urging to breastfeed through advices of experts.
- Exploring, supporting, identifying and implementing innovative communications channels and helping people to develop their ideas.

Targeted segments:
- Mothers who recently give birth.
- Premature infants.
- Pregnant women.
- Health first care centers
- Children and delivery hospitals.
- Private hospitals

Status of breastfeeding in Saudi Arabia
1425H – 2004
A system was issued regulating mother's milk substitutes as per a royal decree no. 45/m and dated 21/9/1425
1428H – 2007
A ministerial decision no. 12/1/77185 was issued on 14/8/1428 with the executive board relating to the system of substituting mother's natural milk.
1431-2010
All health establishments that are infant-friendly reached 49.

 

 

Ten websites are dedicated to World Breastfeeding Week including WHO, UNICEF, in addition to other worldwide organizations such as ILCA and Wellstart Academy.