Limpho Sello

QUEEN ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso will on Friday grace World Breastfeeding Week commemorations in Dili-Dili, Quthing.

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.

This year, the commemorations are being held under the theme: “Breast Feeding: A key to Sustainable Development.”

Her Majesty has been a patron of the initiative in Lesotho since 2004, and visits the country’s outlying districts and meets with mothers and the general public to talk about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.

According to Ministry of Health Nutritionist Manager, Thithidi Diaho, the theme highlighted the fact that breastfeeding and sustainable development were the key elements to better communities, adding development started with breastfeeding.

“Breastfeeding is key and fundamental to a child’s wellbeing,” Ms Diaho said.

“It has many health benefits for both the mother and infant. Breast milk contains all the nutrients an infant needs. To meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary foods, while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or beyond.”

She said a breastfed infant was more likely to be healthy than one who consumed baby formulas or artificial milk. This was because breast milk contained anti-bacterial and anti-viral agents that protected infants against diseases.

Ms Diaho also noted breastfed infants were at a lower risk of developing such diseases as cancer, diabetes, hypertension among others when they grew up.