#BTColumn – The first form of food security

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.

by Sheena Warner-Edwards

Urgent investments are critical to pull back the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) epidemic. Persons living with NCDs are more vulnerable to acquiring infectious diseases like COVID-19. Changing the dynamics to allow for the best form of early nutrition results in a huge return on investment.

Healthy dietary practices, including breastfeeding, foster healthy growth and improves cognitive development and may have longer term health benefits such as reducing the risk of becoming overweight or obese and the development of NCDs at an earlier age in life, as identified by the World Health Organization.

Not exclusively breastfeeding for six months increases the risk for baby to reduced iron, pneumonia, diarrhea, heart disease, diabetes, otitis media, obesity, childhood leukemia, childhood asthma, breast cancer, allergy, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, hypertension, and atherosclerosis. Therefore, policies which reduce individual burden, and the burden on the healthcare sector can be enacted with haste
to encourage healthy outcomes.

Workplace policies which allow mothers to operate at an optimal level are within reach, as has been shown in other countries. We can begin with the low hanging policies including the extension of maternity leave; a blended extension of maternity leave – three months at home and three months working from home; paternity leave and a policy for supporting breastfeeding employees which includes paid pumping breaks, access to lactation spaces and flexible working hours. Currently 39 per cent of women in the Caribbean exclusively breastfeed as identified by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

Working mothers may find it difficult to maintain all of their “new Mom” goals, especially if they work in the traditional office setting. “Express milk” – they say; where should the expressed milk be stored while I am at the office? Several new mothers find it difficult to produce enough milk to feed their babies, with many dreaming of being able to exclusively breastfeed barring the many workplace barriers.

We are in the year 2020; with WHO and UN goals looming and successes expected to be achieved by 2025 and 2030, several healthy nutrition policies would need to be enacted soon. Taking COVID-19 into consideration and other possible infectious diseases, workplace initiatives which can make up a policy can include milk expression breaks, a place to express milk (other than the bathroom), and milk storage support can be implemented.

Several women’s rights groups have called for such policies, which could complement the changes made in the workforce that now see more women working in the industry and office setting and being the breadwinner in many households.

The extension of maternity leave with possible work from at home options, if so desired, were options called for over the last 30 years. The latter has been proven to be possible in the advent of COVID-19.

Paternity leave, as well, could become a national policy and has been mentioned for implementation by the present government. Some private sector companies have gone ahead and implemented paternity leave, with the most recent being Goddard’s Enterprises and FLOW Barbados.

This has given fathers the opportunity to play a greater role in their young child’s life. This assists Mom’s goal of instituting six months exclusive breastfeeding for their newborn and can lessen the anxiety while dealing with “back to work blues”.

Some nurseries allow new Moms to express milk to fulfil the baby’s requirements during the day, but with Dad involved it reduces some of the anxiety involved in the situation. Alternatively, it is known some working Moms extend themselves during their lunch hour and make quick dashes to their child’s nursery, which may or may not be close by, to nurse their babies and to express milk.

The notion of “wasting breast milk” has also been shared from generation to generation of women. Working Moms unfortunately are caught in this position ever so often as a result of a lack of adequate refrigeration which could facilitate this process and designated rooms/spaces or dedicated time to accommodate lactating moms in the workplace.

Many have to resort to the bathroom to express and discard breast milk. This can be disheartening to the mother who is struggling to produce enough milk for her young baby and wants to try her best to maintain an exclusively breastfed baby for at least six months.

Factors like these heighten her stress levels and she finds herself in a challenging position. Her milk appears to be further “drying up”. She goes into a state of depression as she feels inadequate. She is forced to resort to formula at this stage if she is unable to engage a lactation specialist or public health nurse.

As we aim to create a sustainable food system, we have to look at supporting policies which can be introduced with little disruption and huge benefits.

Public health policies such as those proposed support our Baby-friendly designation at our Queen Elizabeth Hospital, encourage breastfeeding of newborns and infants up to and beyond six months and unless medically contraindicated, impact positively on the reduction of NCDs in our children and their mothers and addresses food security in our youngest age group.

Promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding in the community is an appropriate infant and young child feeding practice.

Businesses that invest funds in support services for employees can experience a high return on investment through savings on employee health care and retention. Nationally, we stand to benefit, both from a health perspective and by extension, financially, from such investment.

Sheena Warner-Edwards is a Public Health Consultant.