par Vis, Henri-Louis 
;Hennart, Philippe
Référence Acta paediatrica Belgica, 31, 4, page (195-206)
Publication Publié, 1978
;Hennart, Philippe Référence Acta paediatrica Belgica, 31, 4, page (195-206)
Publication Publié, 1978
Article révisé par les pairs
| Résumé : | In rural areas of Central Africa, on an average infants are breast fed 13 times per day during first 12 months. This is considered to be due to the poor nutritional status of mothers, and lack of milk is compensate for by frequent breast-feeding. Postpartum amenorrhoea is exceptionally prolonged, up to two years after childbirth, and certain indications suggest that mother's poor nutritional state is in a large part responsible for this. There is an influence of nutritional state on reappearance of menstruation in the postpartum period and also on length of fertility. Infanticide and permanent abandonment of infants was widespread in many levels of western society up to the beginning of 20th century. Physicians reestablished the mother-child relationship and advocated breast-feeding as the best way to nourish a baby. Recently a trend towards promoting maternal breast-feeding has developed and it is likely to observe new changes in infants' diet in next 10 years. A study showed all mothers nursed their infants at birth but urban mothers produced more milk compared to mothers in rural areas, whereas the latter had shorter duration of post partum amenorrhoea. In the city, mothers who have to leave their children for some part of the day cannot breast-feed in optimal fashion; and the economic level does not allow for a sufficient diet for baby based on commercial baby food. Many of the babies who do not die are drawn into a vicious cycle of malnutrition and disease that will leave them physically and intellectually stunted for life. There are factors other than formula feeding which is responsible for a decrease in breast-feeding practice. |
