In honour of World Health Day, the La Leche League of Bermuda is partnering with the Department of Health to promote maternal and child health issues.

The theme for this year's World Health Day is 'Healthy Mothers and Children'.

La Leche League, a Bermuda registered charity, offers support, information and encouragement about breastfeeding.

The Department of Health is holding a whole week of health activities from April 4 - 9.

Breastfeeding-related events include a talk from La Leche called 'Baby's changing needs and loving guidance' at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in the first Floor Conference Room on April 9 at 10.30 a.m. There will also be an open house at the hospital with the topic 'Antenatal care, breastfeeding, well woman, neonatal care, and more' on the first floor in the Maternity Ward on April 5 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

In addition to the topic of breastfeeding, the health week will also include lectures about how to prevent accidents in the home, a special 'walk and roll' at Windreach Recreational Village, blood sugar screenings and talks on enriching your child's development potential.

"Over the past 18 years, we have assisted thousands of women who choose to provide a healthy start for their babies," said La Leche Chairman Lena Ostroff. "Breastfeeding is about women, not just about food for babies. Breastfeeding is linked to women's status in society, their health, their economic development, and the realisation of their reproductive and sexual rights."

La Leche holds monthly meetings, provides a lending library, runs a 24-hour hotline, distributes information sheets and brochures to the Maternity Ward at KEMH and take referrals from clinics, doctors, visiting nurses and the hospital.

"Our accredited leaders are trained to provide mother-to-mother support and follow standards established by the world's largest international organisation in the field of breastfeeding," said Ms Ostroff. "We also adhere to guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and endorsed by the American, Canadian and British Paediatric Associations.

"Internationally, there is clear recognition that breastfeeding plays a significant role in the health and development of women and children. The place of breastfeeding and human milk in the economic affairs of a family, a community, or a nation is also important, and is too often underestimated and undervalued."

Ms Ostroff said a woman's right to breastfeed is well protected and supported in many places. She said in other places the culture of breastfeeding struggles to survive or to regain ground lost because of commercial competition, poor health care knowledge and practices, poverty and the increasing work demands on women, the HIV pandemic, exploitative attitudes toward women's bodies, or the challenges that war and other emergencies pose to the survival and well-being of women.

According to Ms Ostroff the WHO has stated: "inappropriate infant and young child feeding practices and their consequences are major obstacles to sustainable socio-economic development and poverty reduction."

"Nations, including Bermuda, have been called upon to develop a comprehensive national policy on infant and young child feeding and to protect, promote and support optimal infant and young child feeding," she said. "Guidelines supported by WHO include exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant's life and continued breastfeeding with the addition of appropriate foods (not substitute milks) until the child's second birthday or beyond."

She said that in response to the WHO's recommendations, many policy decisions have been made globally.

"National breastfeeding committees have been established in over 80 countries, including Bermuda," she said. "More than 18,000 maternity facilities in 134 countries have been certified as meeting the UNICEF/WHO Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative"

For further information about La Leche League call 236-1120 or email islandgirlnorthrock.bm.

See the Bermuda Calendar for a full schedule of Health Week events.