The Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University is joining World Breastfeeding Week. An exhibition in the corridor showcases students' artwork.
Breastfeeding is not merely a way of feeding a child. It affects the health of the child, the health of the mother, and the future health of the population as a whole. Yet successful breastfeeding is not simply a matter of a woman's willpower. Support from partners, families, healthcare professionals, employers, and society also plays a decisive role. When women receive respect, reliable information, and practical assistance, they breastfeed for longer and with greater satisfaction. Supporting breastfeeding is therefore not a private matter for individuals, but an investment in public health.
Since 1991, the importance of breastfeeding has been highlighted at the beginning of August by World Breastfeeding Week, one of the largest social campaigns of its kind. Its aim is to raise awareness of the many benefits of breastfeeding for children and mothers. The campaign involves the World Health Organization, ministries of health, and civil society organizations. This year's motto, "Strengthen What Works," emphasizes the importance of reliable data, continuous evaluation of existing measures, and the impact of breastfeeding on nutrition, food security, and poverty reduction.
Supporting breastfeeding is one of the core competencies of a midwife. At the Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University, we comprehensively prepare students in the bachelor's degree programme in Midwifery for this role. The main courses within the curriculum that address breastfeeding include Midwifery I and II, Midwifery Care in Neonatology and Paediatrics, Nutrition and Dietetics, Education in Midwifery, Primary and Community Care, and Professional Practice. The preparation covers not only breastfeeding itself and breastfeeding techniques, but also the benefits of natural feeding – and the role breastfeeding can play in a child's future health.
We also address the topic as part of the course Health Protection and Promotion II, where we discuss with General Medicine students the ways in which healthcare professionals and society as a whole can support breastfeeding. Our discussions explore how the people around breastfeeding women do – or do not – support them, as well as the barriers and prejudices mothers encounter in everyday life.
As part of this teaching, students also create posters highlighting the key role of society and each of us in protecting and supporting breastfeeding. "We were inspired by material created by the Spokojení organization, which sensitively captures real-life, often unsupportive comments that women encounter. Our aim was to build on these examples, transform them into a constructive perspective, and show what active help and respect for breastfeeding mothers can look like in our everyday environment," says Veronika Zelenková from the Department of Public Health.
Some of these student creations can be seen in the gallery below, as well as in the central corridor of the university campus, on the second floor, in the section near the library, accompanied by several interesting statistical facts.
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