Haiti: Breast Not Best in Emergencies?
Written byJanine Mendes-Franco
Repeating Islands discovers that “the conditions [in Haiti] are still too precarious for reliable delivery of breast milk.”
Written byJanine Mendes-Franco
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Your link to the “Repeating Islands” blog article on how best to help Haiti’s infants and mothers carries an unfortunate headline. The blog, and the point, is that breast IS best in Haiti. Mothers in Haiti need support – food, water, and encouragement to breastfeed. Agencies on the ground are working hard to ensure that this happens, supporting women to lactate, to relactate, and pairing up mothers who are lactate with infants who need breastmilk. Infant formula is a recipe for disaster for these babies – many will die from disease and infection under current conditions. People who want to help can donate funds to agencies that support appropriate infant feeding in emergencies. UNICEF, Save the Children, CARE, are all groups working on this problem. http://www.hmbana.org/index/haiti
I’m thinking of going to Haiti with a church volunteer group. Trouble is I’m on Warfair – a blood anti coagulant. Is there concern that I would not be able to get medical treatment if I could not stop the bleeding from a wound?