By LISA KAAKI
Islam champions the need for children to be breastfed, yet despite its support, breastfeeding rates in Saudi Arabia are not what they should be. In fact, according to a 2005 UNICEF report, Islamic states have the world’s highest child mortality rates. Sixty percent of Muslim children die from disease and malnutrition before their first birthday. Over 4.3 million Muslim children worldwide under the age of five also die every year and over one-third suffer from permanent malnutrition.
As a result, “Our children are dying in direct relation to the decline in breastfeeding, which could so easily provide food security for at least the first two years of their lives” says Dr. Modia Batterjee, a breastfeeding advocate and author of, “A Fading Art, Understanding Breast-Feeding in The Middle East.”
“I am hoping that my book will explain my passion and give future parents a clue as to why breastfeeding is so important.”
The title highlights the crux of the matter: An increasing number of women in the Middle East are choosing not to breastfeed. The first page of the book features prominently Suzie Khalil, an American blogger who is fascinated by the fact that Saudi women embraced so quickly the infant formula:
“Sadly, they abandoned the best and most natural form of feeding their babies without even looking back… Why is it that infant formula was so readily accepted when there is so much information available about how much better, in so many ways, breastfeeding is for babies and their mothers? I just don’t get it!… It just makes no sense!”
In reality, this regrettable situation was caused by the aggressive marketing practiced by the Baby Food Industry. The latter constantly undermines breastfeeding to gain commercial benefits at the cost of child health. It is particularly effective in influencing medical professionals by handing out reports with unjustified and unscientific health claims.
The oil boom which took place in the 1970s and 1980s lifted the veil on the Kingdom’s financial prospects of making billions in an unprotected market.
“Through unchecked advertising, sampling, and overall financial control of governmental entities, infant formula manufacturers changed local women’s infant-feeding practices by introducing artificial formula into infants’ diets,” writes Modia who also believes that the decline of breastfeeding has caused the overall increase of illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer that are directly related to feeding methods in early life.
Her interest in breastfeeding goes back to the 1970s but her public involvement has been more active since 1994. While she was studying for her doctorate’s degree, she and her parents opened Al-Bidayah Breastfeeding Resource and Women’s Awareness Center in Jeddah. This specialized center offers breastfeeding counseling, prenatal education, First Aid, CPR, as well as breastfeeding and health awareness lectures and workshops. Modia Batterjee genuinely wanted to create an awareness for breastfeeding in Saudi Arabia but she faced a number of problems while she was dealing with the public sector such as: The refusal to change and improve health standards, lack of leadership in initiating breastfeeding awareness programs, lack of responsibility toward the community’s health in the sense of its not being purely business and the continuous and unexplainable cooperation with artificial formula companies for funding and sponsorship health programs.
Besides health benefits, a breastfeeding mother has fewer illnesses and doesn’t need to see the pediatrician so often. Breastfeeding results in cost savings for parents who spend “as much as half of their income for formula and treatment for unnecessary illnesses caused by unhealthy feeding.” Breastfeeding also offers ecological benefits, it is a natural and renewable resource, whereas artificial baby milk is non-renewable and impacts the environment at each stage of its production, distribution, and use.
“Breastfeeding” explains Modia, “needs no transportation, packing, preparation, or sterilization. It is always available, ready, warm, and sterilized and causes no waste or pollution.”
However, a study conducted by the author in Jeddah, indicates that social pressures, personal feelings of convenience, misinformation about infant nutrition as well as misinformation about breastfeeding, strongly influence Saudi mothers’ feeding decisions. “The evidence that has emerged gives rise to the concern that if these elements are not addressed, Saudi women will continue current infant feeding practices and will not be able to exclusively breastfeed ever again” writes Modia.
Health specialists believe that there is a need to revise the media campaign for promoting breastfeeding using the teachings and guidance from the Holy Qur’an and Hadiths. Most of all, this useful study should help enforce changes in hospital practices, maternity laws and the creation of mother-and baby-friendly workplaces to promote breastfeeding.
“How would we feed our infants if for some reason the world faced an economic crisis that shut down all artificial milk factories? How will women know how to breastfeed if we don’t keep the art of breastfeeding alive? How will our daughters learn how to breastfeed if we don’t role model for them? Do we have to wait for war, death, and disease before we realize the value of keeping our babies perfectly nourished and healthy?
“A Fading Art” is an eye-opener about the issues of breastfeeding in the Middle East. It should not only be read by women, lactation and health specialists but it should be acted upon.
