Over 60 per cent of the newborn babies who left St Luke’s Hospital in 2005 were breastfed, according to the Health Promotion Department (HPD).

Malta’s breastfeeding rates have doubled over the past 15 years; in 1992, only 35 per cent of babies were breastfed.

World Breastfeeding Week begins today and a series of events are being coordinated by a the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action.

This year’s theme is Code watch: 25 years of protecting breastfeeding, and will celebrate the success achieved by over 60 countries who legislated all or some of the provisions of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.

The dedicated staff in the maternity ward, the establishing of a breast-

feeding walk-in clinic at Karin Grech Hospital, parentcraft classes for parents-to-be and the constant campaigns in favour of breastfeeding have been key contributors to the increased rate.

However, further effort is needed for Malta to reach the target set by the National Policy 2000 of 90 per cent of babies leaving hospital being breastfed.

A lack of information, a lack of baby-friendly facilities and work-places and a breastfeeding taboo in public are some of the barriers that prevent mothers from breastfeeding, despite the recommendations made by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF.

The WHO and UNICEF strongly recommend that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. Breastfeeding should be continued until the child is two years old.

Breast milk helps the mother to regain her pre-pregnancy weight and produces hormones that reduce tension, calming both the mother and the child.