For the eleventh consecutive year, the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes is participating in the World Breastfeeding Week, which will take place from October 12 to 18. On this occasion, the Maternal and Child Protection (PMI) centers will offer films, debates, activities, conferences, and personalized advice on the theme “breastfeeding: an asset in times of crisis.”
In France, over the past few years, the breastfeeding rate has been increasing slowly but steadily. Breast milk is a natural and quality food for the child’s health. However, breastfeeding a child is primarily a desire and a shared choice between parents. To support this choice, the National Nutrition Health Plan (PNNS) was developed in 2001. The PNNS 2006-2010 set the following two objectives: to increase the breastfeeding rate from 55% to 70% by 2010, and to extend the duration of breastfeeding.
In the Alpes-Maritimes department, based on the statistics of the health certificate at the 8th day, the breastfeeding rate in 2008 was 70.5%. Thus, since 2007, and with three years in advance, our department has reached the target set by the PNNS.
However, the statistics of the health certificate at the 9th month of 2008 indicate that only one-third of women who breastfed had exclusive breastfeeding.
It should be noted that UNICEF and WHO recommend six months of exclusive breastfeeding, whereas the median in France is estimated at ten weeks.
More information on the General Council’s website:
www.cg06.fr
