Breastfeeding in russia: problems and prospects

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life provides many short and long term health benefits. A woman’s awareness of the concept of breastfeeding as a unique biological phenomenon that has not only nutritional, but also psychological significance, which has a powerful positive effect on the neuropsychic development of the child, is an important condition for the development of breastfeeding dominance. Premature weaning or refusal to breastfeed increases the risk of developing many socially significant diseases for both mother and child.

The ability to optimize the micronutrient status of a pregnant and then lactating woman by taking specialized vitamin-mineral complexes (VMCs) that correspond to the physiological needs of women in this physiological state dictates the need, on the one hand, to develop new clinical recommendations for women’s nutrition during this period, on the other hand – creation of educational (educational) programs of healthy nutrition using mass media. It is also necessary to expedite the adoption of a law on mandatory salt iodization. Admission, IUD for lactating women, is a reliable way not only to eliminate multiple micronutrient deficiencies in the diet and improve the supply of the body of a nursing woman, but also to optimize the vitamin composition of breast milk and the provision of a child exclusively breastfed.

Some problems that arise during breastfeeding have been identified, including the lack of awareness of women about the benefits of breastfeeding for the health of the child and mother, the insufficient use of IUDs to improve the micronutrient status of both women and infants, and the lack of educational programs explaining the benefits of breastfeeding. Only the joint work of medical and public organizations to eliminate these problems will make it possible to maximize the benefits of breastfeeding.

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