A few weeks ago I informed you of the celebration of V Spanish Breastfeeding Congress, held in Murcia earlier this month. Today I come to tell you the most remarkable of this event, of great importance for the promotion of breastfeeding in our country, in which breastfeeding rates are greatly below what is advisable for maternal and child health. What was discussed there I think is of great interest for professionals, but also for mothers who breastfeed or want to do it.
The first day in the afternoon, the most noteworthy was the table on "The Birth Attention Strategy"The gynecologist Dr. Longinos Aceituno, the matron Blanca Herrera, Isabel Espiga of the Ministry of Health and Vicky Linares of the Mamilactance Association spoke. The need to drastically change the care that mothers receive in their births was noted.
Rosa Ramírez, from El Parto es Nuestro, intervened explaining the needs of the transfers of mothers and children, if there are problems in childbirth and they are separated. He also noted the importance of the issue of transfers that, in his opinion, should also be included in the aspects included in the Normal Delivery Care Strategy. Helena Herrero, from Breastfeeding Asturias intervened to raise the accompaniment in caesarean sections, so that mothers should not face them alone.
At this point of Spanish Breastfeeding Congress The WHO Charts were discussed again, the new indicators they offer. Adriano Cattaneo, one of the greatest exponents of breastfeeding research and promotion, who was invited to the congress and remained among the public, expressed concern and criticism of the graphics. He pointed out that it is very important to train medical professionals to keep them from misinterpreting the graphics from WHO.
A debate on the document of the EPSGAN, European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, which dictates the rules on Complementary Feeding and the Lactation Committee of the AEP, where criticized the contradictory of some aspects of the document that does not enter in considering the artificial feeding As a complementary food. According to one of the members of this European society, everything will be clearer with a document that is pending publication by EPSGAN and will be specific about breastfeeding.
The second morning they talked about Milk Banks, in the Balearic Islands and Madrid, and explained the work they do.
Next, two important representatives of La Leche League: Kittie Frank and Sussane Clozon, analyzed specific aspects of breastfeeding.
Kittie explained details about the amazing spontaneous consolidation which shows that babies know how to breastfeed, and manage to do so if they do not interfere in the process of breastfeeding from the same birth. In Babies and more We have published a video that shows it.
Susanne Colzon defended that mothers also know how to breastfeed and that our behaviors are instinctive , like those of other species. He stressed the importance of letting instinct flow and resorting to manuals only in specific cases.
It was exceptional was the table on mastitis, with Jack Newman, Canadian expert, Juan Rodríguez, from the Complutense University and Dr. Gómez Papi.
Jack Newman made an intervention talking about candidiasis as the origin of many mastitis and also those of bacterial origin.
Juan M. Rodríguez of the Complutense University of Madrid gave a brilliant and complete presentation on the "star" role of the bacteria in relation to mastitis, and its mechanisms of action. He requested that the AEP Breastfeeding Committee and the Marina Alta Hospital review the recommendations and information they give on this subject in response to new research.
Dr. Gómez Papi said that he only spoke of 7 cases and also seemed to believe that this was an unusual cause of pain, and that in most cases (6-of 7) they were already mothers suffering from the problem.
On the third day, IHAN was talked about, Friends of Children Hospitals Initiative, and its necessary transformation in order to adjust more and better to reality.
At the same time, a Meeting of Support groups, in which the representatives of the Breastfeeding Association explained the work that volunteer mothers do in La Fé de Valencia.
I'm sure the celebration of this V Spanish Congress of Breastfeeding It will have a considerable impact on the training of professionals and the care that mothers and babies need to achieve adequate breastfeeding.
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