Health Through Breastfeeding

A mother who attended breastfeeding counseling and hygiene training at the Tienne Health Center shares her experience:

“We raised our first three children according to traditional methods – right after birth with herbal tea, sugar water, and from the fourth month usually with broths. After learning about the benefits of breast milk, I decided to exclusively breastfeed my last two children, and I noticed major differences among all five. The two youngest, who were breastfed, had far fewer health problems. They stayed healthy, and we didn’t have to spend money on sugar or medicines. Breastfeeding also required no extra work – I only needed to follow the hygiene rules that ASCP* had taught us.”

* (Agent de Santé Communautaire Polyvalent, Counseling by community health workers)

If a child can be breastfed, this is always the best option. Breast milk contains all the nutrients and fluids a baby needs. Giving other liquids can pose a risk of infections, especially in regions without access to clean drinking water and where hygiene is a challenge. The promotion of breastfeeding is one of the most important programs of the ASCP.