Links to blogs and publications on infant feeding in emergencies (not specific to Ukraine).

IFE_policy_strategy_and_practice  Report of the Ad Hoc Group on Infant feeding in Emergencies.  May 1999

Why infants have special needs

Babies have specific nutritional needs and are born with an undeveloped immune system. For infants who are breastfed, breastmilk provides both food and immune support, which protects them from the worst of emergency conditions. However, the situation is very different for babies who are not breastfed. In an emergency, food supplies are disrupted, there may be no clean water with which to make up breastmilk substitutes or to clean feeding implements. Health care systems are invariably stretched past breaking point. This means that babies who are not breastfed are vulnerable to infection and to developing diarrhoea. Babies with diarrhoea easily become malnourished and dehydrated and so are at real risk of death. So whenever there is an emergency, it is extremely important that babies who are already being breastfed continue to be and that babies who are not breastfed re-start breastfeeding or, if this is not possible, are given infant formula in the safest possible way.

Emergency Appeals: getting the message right

What to avoid:

• Messages that suggest that women can’t breastfeed because of stress or malnourishment are not helpful and feed commonly held misconceptions.  Mothers need support, protection, encouragement and reassurance – this is far more likely to help them maintain breastfeeding or relactate.
• Calls for donations of breastmilk substitutes and bottles and teats can do more harm than good. Bottle feeding is a huge risk in emergency situations and is unsustainable. If supplies are needed they should be “purchased, distributed and used according to strict criteria.’*
• Baby foods industry claims that they have humanitarian motives. This is all part of a CSR marketing strategy that we call “the Business of Malnutrition.’’ 

In 1994 we exposed a dreadful TV appeal for Bosnia sponsored by Cow&Gate that totally ignored the risks of bottle-feeding.    This campaign resulted in OXFAM, Save the Children and many charities coming together to strengthen and improve their infant feeding in emergencies policies. This led to the formation of Infant Feeding in Emergencies interagency group – hosted by the Emergencies Nutrition Network (ENN).