Appendix D: Key Messages – Comprehensive

Key messages for grandmothers and other caregivers should emphasize benefits of breast milk and the risks of formula and mixed feeding.

• You can help make sure your new grandchild/family member survives and grows up healthy and strong by encouraging the mother to breastfeed.
• You already know that breast milk is the best milk. What you might not know is that other things –even water–are not needed in the first six months and can put the child at risk of illness, including diarrhea.
• God designed mother’s breast milk specifically for the optimum growth and development of the child.
• Our faith strongly supports breastfeeding. One example of this is (insert simple sample religious verse/saying).
• You have the power to help your family by ensuring that your daughter/daughter-in-law/family member knows to feed the newborn the first milk.
  • The first milk (colostrum) contains essential nutrients and disease-fighters to protect the newborn from illness. There are wonderful things in this milk that the baby cannot get from anything else.
  • Newborns are more likely to survive and be healthy when they are breastfed in their first hour.
  • In communities where mothers feed their babies colostrum, more babies survive, and they are healthier.
• Colostrum is the best possible thing to give them and the only thing they need.
  • Water, tea, herbs or other things can damage the newborn’s stomach.
  • Colostrum is yellow, thick and sticky. It looks different from later milk because it has special things the baby needs once it is no longer protected in the womb.
• Before the baby is born, help the parents make the decision to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months. Exclusive breastfeeding means breastfeeding at least 10 times a day and not giving anything else—not even drops of water. Medicine from the nurse or doctor is okay.
• Sometimes babies need to be encouraged to eat, especially if they are not feeling well—help support mothers in their attempts to get their babies to breastfeed at least 10 times a day.
• Feeding only breast milk for the first six months gives the baby a healthy start in life.
  • Breast milk is the best milk and has all the food and water the child needs for the first six months.
  • Exclusively breastfed babies have less diarrhea and respiratory infections than other babies.
  • It takes six months for the baby’s stomach to really be ready for other food and drink.
  • Babies under six months crave breast milk and nothing else!
  • Breastfeeding needs to continue even when the baby is sick so that the baby can regain strength and get better.
• Mixed feeding makes the mother produce less milk. If you have to feed the baby, get the mother to express milk for that purpose.
• Expressed milk will keep for 6-8 hours in a cool place. Give expressed milk by a clean spoon or cup that has been washed with soap and water.
• Help the mother avoid and solve breastfeeding problems. Mothers who are having trouble breastfeeding can get help from a trained counselor—a nurse or from the mother’s group at their church/mosque/temple. Breastfeeding mothers should
  • Soothe dry or cracked nipples with breast milk. Nothing else should be used.
  • Feed often to keep breasts from getting hard
  • See a doctor or nurse if one or both breasts hurt or become hot to the touch.
• Taking some of the mother’s workload so she has more time to rest and to feed the baby 10 times a day means that the baby will benefit and be healthier and stronger.

Key messages for fathers should focus on their roles, the benefits of breastfeeding, and the risks of mixed and formula feeding.

• Your faith tradition teaches that breastfeeding is basic to human life.
• You play a critical role in helping the mother of your child breastfeed successfully.
• Encouraging exclusive breastfeeding—feeding only breast milk and no liquids or food—for the newborn’s first six months is one of the most important things you can do for him or her.
• Breast milk has everything the baby needs for the first six months – it is all they really want or need.
• If the baby can get breast milk whenever hungry, no other food or drink is needed before six months. They can harm the baby and cause the mother to produce less milk (because she is breastfeeding less). Medicine prescribed by a doctor or nurse is okay.
• When your baby is ill, support your spouse to continue breastfeeding.
• Breast milk is free, pure, and natural. More and more parents are recognizing how much better it is for the infant than formula or animal milk.
• Improve your baby’s chances in life – support breastfeeding.
• Feeding your baby using expressed milk can make you feel closer to both mother and child. Once the child reaches six months, you can help feed him or her complementary foods to maintain this closeness.
• Exclusively breastfed babies sleep better and cry less, giving you more peace and more time with your wife.
• Intercourse does not affect breast milk.
• Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months can reduce the chances of your wife getting pregnant again too soon. Exclusive breastfeeding, on demand, at least ten times a day is a natural form of family planning for the first six months. Once your wife’s period returns, even if she is exclusively breastfeeding, this method is no longer effective for her.
• Taking some of the mother’s workload so she has more time to rest and feed the baby 10 times a day means that the baby will benefit and be healthier and stronger
• Support your breastfeeding wife’s need to be prioritized during meal time and encourage her to eat two extra meals a day when breastfeeding.
• Eating extra meals with eggs or meat and green-, orange- and yellow-fleshed foods while breastfeeding will provide her with energy, so she can give the baby the nutrition he or she needs.

Key messages for religious leaders should focus on their roles, the benefits of breastfeeding, and the risks of mixed and formula feeding.

• Your faith tradition teaches that breastfeeding is basic to human life.
• You can play a critical role in helping families and communities value, expect, and implement optimal breastfeeding practices.
• Encouraging exclusive breastfeeding for the newborn’s first six months is one of the most important things you can do for the health and welfare of your community.
• Breast milk is a free gift from God. It provides all the nutrition and water a baby needs for the first six months. It helps protect children from illness. It strengthens the mother-child bond.
• If the baby can get breast milk whenever hungry, no other food or drink is needed before six months. They can harm the baby and cause the mother to produce less milk (because she is breastfeeding less). Medicine prescribed by a doctor or nurse is okay.
• Exclusive breastfeeding, on demand, at least ten times a day for the first six months is a natural form of birth spacing.
• Giving babies formula instead of breast milk increases their risk of infection, malnutrition, and cognitive impairment (mental deficiency).
• Support families to exclusively breastfeed for six months and continue breastfeeding at least until the child is two years old.
• Encourage family and community members to take some of the mother’s workload so she has more time to rest and breastfeed. This helps ensure that the baby is a healthy addition to your community
• Encourage families to ensure breastfeeding mothers get two additional, nutritious meals every day—meals with eggs or meat and green-, orange- and yellow-fleshed foods—so she has enough energy and nutrients to breastfeed successfully.
• Teach about breastfeeding during sermons and special services/events.
• Plan and implement care groups, prayer groups, and workshops that teach and support optimal breastfeeding practices.
• Learn about what health facilities teach and do about breastfeeding, and do what you can to ensure they implement best practices, such as the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.

Key messages for faith communities should focus on their roles, the benefits of breastfeeding, and the risks of mixed and formula feeding.

• Your faith tradition teaches that breastfeeding is a basic to human life (insert simple sample religious verse/passage/saying if you have one, please.).
• You play a critical role in helping families and communities value, expect, and implement optimal breastfeeding practices.
• Encouraging exclusive breastfeeding for the newborn’s first six months is one of the most important things you can do for your community.
• Breast milk is a free gift from God. It provides all the nutrition and water a baby needs for the first six months. It helps protect children from illness. It strengthens the mother-child bond.
• If the baby can get breast milk whenever hungry, no other food or drink is needed before six months. They can harm the baby and cause the mother to produce less milk (because she is breastfeeding less). Medicine prescribed by a doctor or nurse is okay.
• Exclusive breastfeeding, on demand, at least ten times a day for the first six months is a natural form of birth spacing.
• Giving babies formula instead of breast milk increases their risk of infection, malnutrition, and cognitive impairment (mental deficiency).
• Support families to exclusively breastfeed for six months and continue breastfeeding at least until the child is two years old.
• Encourage family and community members to take some of the mother’s workload so she has more time to rest and breastfeed. This helps ensure that the baby is a healthy addition to your community
• Encourage families to ensure breastfeeding mothers get two additional, nutritious meals every day—meals with eggs or meat and green-, orange- and yellow-fleshed foods—so she has enough energy and nutrients to breastfeed successfully.
• Teach about breastfeeding during sermons and special services/events.
• Plan and implement care groups, prayer groups, and workshops that teach and support optimal breastfeeding practices.
• Learn about what health facilities teach and do about breastfeeding, and do what you can to ensure they implement best practices, such as the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.