Breastfeeding
in Emergency and Relief Situations:
Refugee camps, war, famine,
earthquakes and other natural disasters
Reported by
Kathy Kerr
Arlington, Virginia, USA
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 35 No. 5, October-November 1999, p. 108
(This article is a report
on a 1999 LLLI Conference session.)
A recent Time magazine cover
shows a distraught Kosovo mother breastfeeding her baby. In Africa a
woman escaping war is photographed on a bed with her newborn triplets.
War, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes wreak havoc on families
rich or poor.
The recent hurricane Mitch
destroyed much of Honduras and other parts of Central America. Two local
priests had heartfelt concern for the many mothers and babies in the
shelters. They spent a lot of money buying bottles and formula with
good intentions that the babies wouldn't be hungry. But they did not
consider that most of the mothers were breastfeeding.
The highest mortality rate
in time of emergency is children under age five, especially those under
age six months. Many relief organizations, also with good intentions,
distribute formula without evaluating the long term effects.
Many do not have guidelines
for infant feeding much less breastfeeding. In some cases, the formula
companies arrive on the scene even before the relief agencies. The
New York Times recently reported that a formula company refused
to donate baby food if their formula was not also accepted. In Mexico,
relief organizations received inappropriate amounts of infant formula
and workers used it to make hot drinks for mothers and older children.
At the time of a crisis,
women may find themselves alone without husbands or families. They are
traumatized physically and emotionally. Fuel, water and food are scarce.
Conditions are unsanitary. There may be babies with special needs such
as premies, ill babies or triplets. Mothers from bottle-feeding cultures
may be most at risk especially if humanitarian volunteers have no information
about breastfeeding or relactation.
In many situations it is
wise to encourage mothers to initiate lactation or to relactate. This
process could take from three days to many weeks. Mothers who were using
mixed breast and bottle-feeding should be encouraged to breastfeed as
much as possible. In some emergency situations a baby might have to
be wet-nursed or provided milk from donor mothers. Other babies might
be used to help stimulate a mother's milk supply.
Relief organizations should
adopt and implement the Breastfeeding Friendly Hospital Initiative policies.
Humanitarian workers and emergency personnel such as the National Guard,
police and fire departments need pre-emergency training that includes
breastfeeding guidelines. The guidelines would include basic information
such as identifying babies under one year of age, finding volunteers
with breastfeeding information and experience to assist mothers, and
avoiding separation of mother and baby.
Volunteers on the scene of
an emergency can help by creating private, comfortable places for breastfeeding.
Posters or radio announcements should inform mothers that help is available.
In an emergency everyone must work together. Breastfeeding saves babies'
lives and helps empower mothers to have the strength to help others.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:08 UTC 2007.
