Woz recommends. Principles of healthy eating. Helping mothers conserve breast milk if they are temporarily separated from their babies

“The first 2-3 years of a child’s life are critical for physical and mental development. However, current feeding practices in some countries may be doing more harm than good for young children's development. Children under three years of age are especially sensitive to the effects of poor nutrition; since during this period growth occurs more intensively than at any other time ... "

Poor nutrition can lead to: irreversible growth retardation, frequent severe infections, cardiovascular diseases, as well as various defects (delayed motor and cognitive development, behavioral problems, underdeveloped social skills, short attention span, poor learning abilities ).
“There is evidence... that infant nutrition has long-term health consequences and plays a role in preventing the development of some chronic non-communicable diseases in adults.”

Breastfeeding children up to two years of age significantly reduces infant morbidity and mortality. This is especially important for the period from birth to 6 months.

It is important to note that by “breastfeeding” the WHO means “the baby receiving breast milk directly from the breast”, and not just breastfeeding.

“WHO and UNICEF currently recommend continuing breastfeeding for up to 2 years, and possibly longer.” At the same time, it is specifically stated that “all children should be exclusively breastfed from the moment of birth until the age of approximately 6 months, but in any case during the first 4 months of life.”

“In the first few hours of life outside the womb, the baby is lively, active and ready to feed, so ideally breastfeeding should begin within the first hour.” “Colostrum, released in the first few days of life, is especially rich in immunoprotective factors and several vitamins and minerals...”
The necessary introduction of complementary foods from 6 months “does not mean stopping breastfeeding. On the contrary, in the first year of life, breast milk should remain one of the main sources of nutrition...” “The purpose of complementary feeding is to provide additional energy and nutrients, but ideally it should not replace breast milk during the first 12 months. To…stimulate milk production, mothers should continue to breastfeed their babies frequently while complementary feeding is introduced.”

When a breastfeeding woman is forced to go to work and can no longer adhere to the feeding schedule at the request of the child, then to maintain breastfeeding, she should express during the day. The expressed milk is then given to the baby. And to support lactation, night feedings should be maintained. In addition, WHO recommends that working women feed two to three times a day.

How to support lactation

Application. In the matter of sufficient lactation, correct attachment plays an important role. Therefore, first of all, you should pay attention to ensuring that the child takes the nipple into his mouth correctly.

The baby is attached to the mother's breast correctly (left) and incorrectly (right).

Regularity. “The key to establishing and maintaining optimal lactation is breastfeeding on demand. As long as the baby is positioned correctly at the breast and the mother breastfeeds frequently (8-12 times per day), he will likely consume adequate amounts of breast milk.” Rigid feeding schedules are not recommended because different babies have different needs.

Duration. “Baby-led feeding, in which the infant is allowed to voluntarily move away from the breast if he is satisfied and decides not to take the breast again when it is offered to him after a few minutes, will provide the best milk production. Weaning a baby prematurely...can reduce the amount of milk consumed, make babies hungry, and needlessly cause mothers to doubt their milk supply." It is also important not to rush to offer the baby another breast in order to give him the opportunity to suck the so-called later (highest calorie) milk from the first.
Supplementation and additional feeding. Up to 6 months, the child must be exclusively breastfed (drops and syrups - vitamins, minerals, medicines) are allowed. Additional fluids and food before 6 months “displaces richer, more nutrient-dense breast milk and interferes with the baby's ability to breastfeed, thereby compromising the establishment and continuation of breastfeeding. Even in hot climates, provided they are exclusively breastfed, children can retain fluid without supplementation.

Flexibility. “Exclusive breastfeeding provides the baby with milk in sufficient quantity and quality” until about 6 months. Until this age, “even mothers of twins are able to exclusively breastfeed their children.” “As the baby's needs increase and the mother responds by breastfeeding more frequently and for longer periods of time, the mother's milk supply can increase in a matter of days, even hours.”
Confidence. “Irreversible milk deficiency is rare in the first few months of life.” But mothers do not always have enough confidence that they are able to produce enough milk. And this fear can inhibit lactation. It is important to remember that insufficient weight gain in the child primarily means that the mother needs qualified breastfeeding advice, and not that the child should be transferred to artificial formula.
If your pediatrician indicates that your child is not gaining enough weight, check which physical development charts he/she is using. Unfortunately, many of these plans are outdated and based on data from American formula-fed children. “Breastfed children have different physical development patterns than their bottle-fed peers...”

Bottles, pacifiers and pacifiers. Their complete exclusion ensures that the mother will react correctly to the child’s tension - that is, she will offer him the breast to calm him down. Otherwise, the principle of feeding on demand is violated.

Harmful recommendations preserved from the times of the Soviet Union

• late initiation of breastfeeding (6-12 hours after birth), especially for sick women, including women suffering from anemia;
• feeding with a 5% glucose solution until breast milk production is established;
• exclusive breastfeeding only for the first month;
• breast milk as the main food for the first 4-4.5 months;
• complete cessation of breastfeeding by the age of 10-11 months;
• breastfeeding strictly according to schedule (with a deviation of no more than 15 minutes).

In addition, the importance of a long break at night was indicated - from 6.5 to 8 hours.
We started feeding them already from the second month:

• vegetable and fruit “juices” (jam with water) – 1 month;
• fruits – 2 months;
• cow's milk diluted with a decoction of cereals - 2-3 months;
• pure kefir, hard-boiled egg yolk – 3 months;
• tea and water with sugar, cow's milk, cottage cheese, porridge, butter, sugar and salt - 4 months.

What’s even worse is that “if anemia (and rickets) was diagnosed, it was recommended to introduce porridge and other solid foods before 4 months.”

When preparing the article, materials from the site were used

Would you like some sugar?

The sweetest world war in the entire history of mankind... Doctors from different countries are fighting it tirelessly and systematically. For Russians who love sweets, this is an “unknown war”, because reports from its fronts have practically not been published in our country. Meanwhile, The 57th Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) seriously discussed the problem of limiting sugar consumption. And doctors have a chance to defeat the international alliance of food producers, who generously add “white death” to their products and spare no expense in the fight against WHO. After all, WHO has already won the protracted and global business war with tobacco manufacturers.
Open hostilities began last spring, when the US sugar lobby transparently hinted to the WHO leadership that it would complicate the financing of this organization by using its connections in Congress. The price of the issue was $406 million. To demonstrate the seriousness of intentions, the President of the US Sugar Association, Andrew Briscoe, also attached letters from influential senators Larry Craig and John Brix to his message to WHO Director General Gro Brundtland. The “sugar workers” wanted one thing - to stop the official publication of WHO technical report No. 916, “Children and Nutrition and Prevention of Chronic Diseases,” scheduled for April 23, 2003.

But that's not all: they mean not only table sugar (chemists call it sucrose), but also glucose (dextrose), fructose, malt sugar (maltose) and some other sweet sugars. We hardly think about them, because they are extremely rarely found in our kitchen in their pure form, but they are often found in industrial products, which can be easily found out by carefully reading their composition on the label. This largest and most authoritative study of recent decades on nutrition and health was prepared by a committee of 30 leading international experts under the auspices of WHO and FAO (the UN Food and Agriculture Organization). The report discussed a lot of issues related to disease and diet, but only a few pages were devoted to the relationship between excess sugar consumption and obesity. Why did this problem, which will probably not seem very original to many, frighten sugar producers and food processors so much?
It’s rare that a person eats as little sugar as WHO experts recommend. Americans consume nearly 190 grams of “free sugars” per day. This is 4 times more than the WHO recommended norm. In Russia, according to Soyuzrossakhar, each Russian consumes 37 kg of sugar per year, which corresponds to approximately 100 grams per day. The situation seems better, but this is only at first glance: this dose includes only sucrose, and other “free sugars” contained in industrially manufactured products are not taken into account.

How Sugar Contributes to Obesity Why do food manufacturers like to add sugar to their products?
Many products made not in a home kitchen, but in an industrial environment, would simply be inedible without sugar. Being a universal flavor enhancer and converter, sugar softens sour, bitter, harsh and unpleasant tastes in drinks, sauces, ketchup and other products. In addition, by improving the appearance and color of the product, sugar makes them visually appetizing.
By preventing spoilage, it plays the role of a preservative. Sugar adds airiness to creams, fats, and egg whites or improves their text. All these properties make it possible to use sugar to make a product edible even from low-quality raw materials.
Representatives of the sugar lobby strongly deny the connection between obesity and sugar. In fact, scientists have long studied the biochemical mechanisms by which sugar and other carbohydrates are converted into fats in our body. Moreover, they believe that the amount of fat that accumulates in the body depends more on the sugar and other carbohydrates in foods than on the fats themselves.
Here the way to convert sugar not only into subcutaneous fat, but also visceral (internal, “caring” for blood vessels and other internal organs), in our body. In the digestive system, sugar breaks down into glucose, which is absorbed into the blood. Part of the glucose is deposited in the liver in the form of glycogen, and all its excess, after a series of biochemical reactions in the liver and in fat cells, turns into real fat.
The release of glucose into fat cells is facilitated by the hormone insulin. The pancreas releases it in response to the entry of glucose into the blood from the intestines. And the more glucose, the more insulin and the more fat is synthesized. First, this leads to obesity, then diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis occur. These diseases are connected in a tragic tangle: the mechanisms of their development are so interconnected that they help each other progress. And, in fact, doctors now classify them into a single disease, the so-called metabolic syndrome.
Alexander Melnikov, candidate of medical sciences sciences
Institute of Endocrinology RAMS

Almost every young mother faces a variety of problems when breastfeeding. In order to avoid unforeseen situations during lactation, it is worth following WHO recommendations on breastfeeding, clearly outlined by month. With their help, every young mother will be able to establish this important process for every woman and fully enjoy motherhood.

In 2003, at the international meeting of the World Health Organization, a declaration on infant nutrition was approved. Thanks to the adoption of this document, an increasing number of young mothers prefer feeding with their own milk, and this serious topic is being popularized at the level of medical institutions.

In the course of research by WHO and UNICEF specialists, it was found that breast milk has a huge impact on the physical and mental development of children under one year old, namely:

• Breast milk is a complete source of nutrition for a newborn. So, according to the existing table, babies under the age of six months receive 100% of the nutrients they need from mother’s milk, from 6 to 12 months - 75%, and after a year - 25%.
• In the complete absence of breastfeeding, the risk of mortality among newborns increases to 70%. This applies to formula-fed children from poor countries where infectious diseases predominate.
• Breast milk affects mental development. Breastfed babies show higher developmental rates than bottle-fed babies.
• Breast milk is a reliable protection against obesity. According to statistics, children who are bottle-fed subsequently suffer from excess body weight 11 times more often than babies raised on breast milk.

The main motive of the WHO and UNICEF declaration is to promote the principles of breastfeeding among young mothers. This guardianship program makes it possible to reduce the increase in mortality among children aged 1 to 5 years in countries with unfavorable economic situations.

WHO feeding principles involve receiving mother's milk directly from the breast. If you bottle-feed your baby with breast milk or formula, he will not receive the benefit (although the norms for weight gain according to the monthly table can be met) that the baby receives by listening to the mother’s heartbeat, feeling her affection and warmth. This aspect is very important because it affects the emotional contact between mother and child. A practical guide to feeding children consists of 10 principles. They should help nursing mothers and medical facility staff properly organize the breastfeeding process month by month. It is worth familiarizing yourself with these principles of breastfeeding in more detail.

Supporting breastfeeding principles

According to WHO recommendations, every medical institution is obliged to create comfortable conditions for young mothers to improve the lactation process in the first days of the birth of a child. This will help the nursing mother adapt faster and get rid of all worries about breastfeeding.

Education of medical personnel

Unfortunately, not all medical institutions can provide qualified care to young mothers. For many years, the issue of breastfeeding was not given much attention. Women lacked certain knowledge, which is why many refused to breastfeed. Today the situation is gradually changing.

Each woman decides for herself how to feed her newborn baby. This important issue is decided long before the birth of the child, and this decision is usually influenced by scary stories heard somewhere about breastfeeding, about possible congestion in the chest, poor health and a constantly crying and hungry child. To prevent a negative attitude towards the natural process of feeding, medical personnel are obliged to advise expectant mothers during pregnancy, as well as immediately after the birth of the baby.

First aid for breastfeeding for women in labor

According to WHO recommendations, the first attachment of a newborn to the breast should occur no less than 30 minutes after birth. During this period, the woman’s process of producing breast milk is activated, and the baby, tired during the birth process, will be able to refresh himself and fall asleep. If you do not put the baby to the breast in time, he will fall asleep and the young mother will not produce milk.

At first, the young mother only stands out. Many people underestimate its role for the baby. However, even these small drops can be of great benefit to the child, because colostrum:

• Strengthens the immune system, protects the child’s body from infections.
• Helps clear the intestines of meconium, thereby reducing the amount of bilirubin.
• Fills the food tract with beneficial microflora.
• Enriches the child's body with vitamin A.

Preservation of breast milk in case of temporary separation of mother and child
There are times when a newborn and his mother need to be temporarily separated for health reasons. In this case, staff in many medical institutions try to feed the baby with an artificial formula. The child quickly gets used to the fact that he does not have to strain, because mother’s milk needs to be “extracted”, and it flows freely from the bottle on its own. In most cases, the baby stops demanding the breast. In such a situation, a young mother should express milk regularly and not panic if the amount is very small. The main thing is that the breasts will receive a signal about feeding, and gradually the lactation process will improve.

If while staying in the maternity hospital, a young mother can still get the necessary advice from the medical staff, then after discharge, at home, many women are tormented by questions to which it is not always possible to get answers. In this case, it is recommended to breastfeed based on the principles and recommendations of WHO:

• In the first days, the newborn will have enough colostrum. Since not everyone can establish successful breastfeeding right away, do not despair, the baby will be completely satisfied with a small, but no less valuable amount of colostrum.
• Remember that water overloads a newborn's kidneys. There is no need to give your baby more food; colostrum will be enough for him.
• Do not feed your baby formula. This often leads to disturbances in the intestinal microflora.
• 24-hour stay of the baby with the mother. Staying together with the child will give confidence to both of them - the baby will be calm and protected, and the young mother will be able to quickly adapt to new conditions.

Before starting complementary feeding (and we started it at about 5 months and 1 week), I read in detail the WHO (World Health Organization) Recommendations for the European region with an emphasis on the former Soviet countries “Children’s Nutrition” (FEEDING AND NUTRITION OF INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN Guidelines for the WHO European Region with emphasis on the former Soviet countries). I read the Recommendations in English, because... In the publication in Russian, which is on the Internet, not all the text has been translated.

1. Unmodified milk can be given to a child no earlier than 9 months, and skimmed (reduced fat) milk - no earlier than 2 years. Early introduction of cow's milk into a child's diet can lead to anemia. The same applies to other dairy products and tea (see next point).

2. Prevents the absorption of iron from food for up to 2 years: teas (black, green, herbal), coffee. After the child reaches 2 years of age, teas are taken, but not during meals or immediately after eating. I think this applies equally to adults, and especially to pregnant women. Needless to say, in our countries people love to drink tea and coffee. I drink several cups of tea a day (I don’t like coffee, I drink it very rarely). Maybe this was one of the reasons for my anemia during pregnancy (cured with Sorbifer Durules in 2 weeks). And in the antenatal clinic they could still remind pregnant women more often about the diet and its components! I would have to take less chemicals.

The concentration of antibacterial substances in breast milk remains after the first year of a child’s life.

Because Breast milk contains a sufficient amount of the following substances, then vitamins B6, B12, C, and folic acid from complementary foods are almost not needed.

Infant formula (in the absence of breast milk) should remain the main liquid taken for up to 9 months, or even more. The energy density of infant formula should be 65 kcal/100 ml. When I had problems with breastfeeding, we ate the Bellact bifido-1 mixture. The energy density corresponds to the above.

From 9-12 months. You can gradually introduce cow's milk into your child's diet as a DRINK. Cow's milk must be pasteurized or boiled before consumption.

4. During the complementary feeding period, there is no question of adding sugar and salt to food. From the age of 1 year, no more than 5 level teaspoons of sugar (25 g) can be added to the child’s diet (if desired). But!!! This figure is still being discussed by WHO. There is no consensus.

5. Anemia in a child can develop not only from a lack of iron, but also due to a lack of vitamin A. We are 3.5 months old. They diagnosed iron deficiency anemia only because the child’s hemoglobin was 107. They prescribed taking Maltofer for a month. It’s good that we only gave it to the child for a week (he began to diarrhea, and this is even worse than anemia. It already smells of dehydration and the leaching of other useful substances from the body). Firstly, I was not too lazy to find information on the Internet about hemoglobin standards for children. So: 107 for the age of 3.5 months. turned out to be quite a good indicator. Secondly, I fought for the transition to full breastfeeding, and I succeeded. I believe that due to this, my child received iron (easily digestible, and not from a mixture or medicine), which allowed him to increase his hemoglobin level to 117.

Iron deficiency anemia can also be caused by a lack of folic acid, vitamins B2 (riboflavin), B12 and copper in the body. Systematic infections and chronic inflammation can cause anemia not related to iron deficiency.

Rapid weight gain can be a cause of iron deficiency anemia.

Heme iron is absorbed better than non-heme iron. The average digestibility of heme iron from meat is 25%. But!!! Most dietary iron is in the form of non-heme iron. One of the most powerful “stimulators” of iron absorption is vitamin C. Vitamin C, obtained from vegetables and fruits, promotes the absorption of iron from other foods. Kefir and sauerkraut are “stimulants” for the absorption of iron.

If you add a little meat to vegetable dishes, the availability of iron in vegetables increases. We do this as soon as we started eating meat. I mix vegetable puree, meat, yolk and olive oil in one bowl for my child. After this we drink fruit juice.

Fruit juices fortified with vitamin C or made from the pulp promote iron absorption when consumed with a main meal. BUT!!! Their volume needs to be limited, because they can affect breast milk supply and diet diversification. They contain glucose, fructose, sucrose and other sugars, which, due to their acidity, can cause dental caries and erosion.

The main sources of iron in foods of plant origin are cereals, legumes, vegetables and fruits. But compared to grains, legumes have more available iron. Yeast bread has more iron available than yeast-free bread.

Despite the relatively low concentration of iron in breast milk (which is nevertheless highly available), there is a small risk of iron deficiency anemia before 9 months. in children with normal birth weight who are under 4 months of age. were exclusively breastfed and who continue to feed on demand.

After 6 months A child's iron reserves are replenished ONLY from complementary foods.

6. During the complementary feeding period, the energy density of food (not to be confused with calorie content) is very important. The average energy density of complementary foods should be close to 1 kcal/g, but not less than 0.67 kcal/g. For example, the energy density of 1 g of fat is 9 kcal/g. This is not to say that you need to indulge in some complex mathematical calculations when preparing complementary foods. You should simply, for example, add a few grams of butter to your child’s porridge each time, and olive or sunflower oil to vegetable purees, and do not dilute the porridge and puree too much with water.

The highest energy density is in meat and fatty fish, and the lowest is in cereals, especially if they are diluted with water and not cooked in milk with the addition of butter.

7.Up to 2 years, fats should make up 30-40% of energy intake, and added sugar - no more than 10% (well, this figure is for those who still decide to sweeten).

8. In the diet, one should distinguish between absolute and non-absolute proteins. Absolute proteins are of animal origin, with the exception of gelatin, i.e. contain all the necessary amino acids and have high biological value. Non-absolute proteins are of plant origin, with the exception of soy. Advice: if the child has reached 9 months of age, then it is advisable to cook porridge with milk.

In case of significant consumption of breast milk, the need for amino acids from complementary foods is negligible. Fats in breast milk are 98% triglycerides - the richest source of energy for young children (9 kcal/g), which is 2 times more energy dense than carbohydrates and proteins.

9. Unprocessed cereals and legumes contain phytates, which interfere with the absorption of zinc and iron from complementary foods, so they should be introduced after 1 year. Up to 6 months Up to 80% of zinc is absorbed from breast milk (from formula - 30%, from soy - 15%). But after 6 months. There is not enough of it in breast milk.

What are phytates? Phytates are stores of phosphates and minerals in cereals, vegetables, seeds and nuts. Phytates and polyphenols are the strongest inhibitors (obstacles) to iron absorption. Light heat treatment reduces the phytate content in tubers. Soaking and sprouting grains and legumes promotes enzymatic hydrolysis of phytates. Fermentation, grinding and roasting are also ways to reduce phytate levels in plant foods.

Phenols are found in tea, coffee, cocoa, many vegetables, herbs and spices.

10.To be effective, foods and drinks rich in vitamin C should be consumed with foods containing non-haem iron. Vitamin C is destroyed by heat, light and oxygen, so you need to eat fresh or lightly cooked vegetables and fruits. In stews, soups, jams and compotes, vitamin C is completely destroyed.

11.Complementary foods contain very little vitamin D, so exposure to daylight on the skin is very important for young children. The amount of vitamin D a baby receives from mother's milk depends on the amount of vitamin D in the mother's body. Expose your face (or lower arms and legs) exclusively to sunlight for approximately 30 minutes. every day is equal to the norm of vitamin D. Because Vitamin D is fat soluble, then enough vitamin D can be stored to meet physiological needs for days ahead or months when there is no sun.

12.The only natural source of iodine is sea fish. A woman should additionally consume iodine before conception, throughout pregnancy and during lactation. Iodized salt is not suitable for small children because... they have limited sodium excretion capabilities.

13.Milk and dairy products are the main sources of easily digestible calcium. Other sources are nuts and fish. Phosphorus, phytate and oxolate (in sorrel) reduce the bioavailability of calcium. And after 6 months. Breast milk remains the baby's main source of calcium. Calcium absorption is difficult from formula and unmodified cow's milk.

14. Potatoes contain vitamins C and B1. After 3 months its storage remains 2/3 of ascorbic acid, and after 6-7 months. - only 1/3. I specifically highlighted this, because... We are Belarusians, famous Bulbash.

Closer to 1 year, children can consume food that is eaten in the family without additional processing.

What stages does complementary feeding consist of?

Developmental stage 1 (learning to eat from a spoon). Other than breast milk, no liquids are needed. Breast milk should be produced in the same quantities as before the introduction of complementary foods. Complementary feeding is offered to the baby after breastfeeding.

Development stage 2. Developmental cues for the introduction of thicker purees, as well as new flavors and textures, include: sitting without support and transferring an object from one hand to the other. From meat, it is very useful to offer your child liver. We started with beef, then added liver to it. I really like the composition of “Granny’s Basket”.

Development stage 3. Introducing food with a denser and lumpier consistency. As fine motor skills develop and teeth emerge, children can pick up small pieces of food, put them in their mouths and chew them. This should be encouraged by offering food that is eaten with the hands. Breastfeeding continues on demand. Liquids should only be given from a mug. Cow's milk can be used in small quantities for cooking. Toasted bread, carrots and pears (examples of finger foods) should be served with each feeding. You can put a moderate amount of butter or margarine on the cracker. Two (2) or three (3) small meals must be served each day. These dishes can be varied with snacks: yogurt, a small amount of kefir, chopped raw or baked apple, bread with butter or margarine.

Development stage 4. Feeding the child should be combined with independent food intake. Breast milk remains the main source of fluid and should preferably remain so after one year and up to 2 years. Consumption of cow's milk and dairy products from 9 months. can be gradually increased. The child is offered a more varied variety of food, which is eaten with the hands. By the age of one year, the child should receive 3 main meals per day with 2 snacks.

Another guideline: after 8 months. Complementary foods should be given to the child 3 times a day.

It is not recommended to give children vitamins in addition to nutritious food. The only exception may be vitamin D. But personally, we were also prescribed Calcemin (calcium), because The child, due to the acquired skills of sitting and walking (with support), has an additional load on the bone skeleton.

When preparing complementary foods, preference should be given to local products.

Conclusion: FEEDING AND NUTRITION OF INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN Guidelines for the WHO European Region with epphasis on the former Soviet countries were also developed by WHO as a basis for the development of national child nutrition programs. It is a pity that in the Republic of Belarus there is not only no such program that not only health care specialists, but also parents could follow, and its text is not even listed on the WHO website in Belarus.

In modern society, one of the main values ​​is human life. A large number of activities are aimed at improving its quality and duration, which are supported by the rulers of almost all countries of the world. To coordinate their actions, as well as to perform many other functions in the field of maintaining and improving public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) was created, which is currently one of the most authoritative and influential organizations in the world.

Origin and purpose of WHO

Its activities began in 1948. It was then that the charter was ratified and the first obligations were taken, in particular, for example, the development of an international classification of diseases. Subsequently, WHO continued to take responsibility for the implementation of large-scale programs around the world. One of the most important achievements is the smallpox eradication campaign, which was successfully completed in 1981. The spheres of influence, areas of activity and functions of the organization are determined by the charter and lead to one goal - achieving the highest level of health that is possible under the given conditions for all peoples of the world.

WHO principles

The Constitution of the World Health Organization defines health as a state of well-being at the physical, mental and social level. And he separately explains that if a person does not have diseases or physical defects, then it is too early to say that he is healthy, since the state of mental balance and the social factor are not taken into account. WHO member countries, by signing the charter, agree that every person has the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health, and any successes of the state in the field of health are of value to everyone. In addition, there are some principles that are also fundamental and are adhered to by everyone who adopted the charter. Here are some of them.

• Global health is a fundamental factor in achieving peace and security and depends on the degree of cooperation of individuals and states.
• Uneven developments in health care and disease control in different regions of the world are a common danger.
• The health of the child is a factor of paramount importance.
• Providing the opportunity to use all the achievements of modern medicine is a necessary condition for the highest level of health.

Functions of WHO

To achieve the intended goal, the charter stipulates the functions of the organization, which are very extensive and varied. To list them, the World Health Organization used all letters of the Latin alphabet. Since there are quite a lot of them, we will list the most important ones. So, the functions of WHO are as follows:

• act as a coordinating and directing body in international health work;
• provide necessary assistance and technical assistance in health activities;
• encourage and develop work to combat various diseases, and support maintenance that may be required;
• promote positive change in education in the health and health professions;
• establish and disseminate international standards for food, pharmaceutical and other products;
• develop maternal and child health care, take measures to harmonize life.

WHO's work

The organization's work is carried out in the form of annual World Health Assemblies, at which representatives from different countries discuss the most important issues in the field of public health. They are headed by a CEO selected by an executive committee that includes representatives from 30 countries. The CEO's responsibilities include presenting the organization's annual budget and financial reports. It has the authority to obtain necessary health-related information directly from government and private agencies. In addition, he is obliged to keep the regional offices informed of all territorial issues.

WHO divisions

The WHO structure includes 6 regional divisions: European, American, Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, Pacific and African. Almost always decisions are made at the regional level. In the fall, during the annual meeting, representatives from the countries of the region discuss pressing problems and challenges for their area, adopting appropriate resolutions. The regional director coordinating the work at this level is elected for a 5-year term. Like the general, he has the authority to directly receive health information from various institutions in his region.

WHO activities

Today, we can highlight several of the most important areas of activity carried out by the World Health Organization. The Millennium Goals - this is how various media characterize them. They include the following activities:

• assistance in the elimination and treatment of diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis;
• assistance in campaigns aimed at improving conditions for pregnant women and children;
• identifying factors for the development of chronic diseases and preventing their development;
• assistance in improving the mental health of the population;
• cooperation in activities aimed at improving the health of adolescents.

The organization’s systematic and constant work in these directions has been going on for a long time, and, of course, there are achievements. But it is too early to talk about their successful completion.

WHO achievements

Among the already recognized achievements of WHO are:

• eradicating smallpox from the world;
• a significant reduction in the incidence of malaria;
• a vaccination campaign against six infectious diseases;
• identifying HIV and combating its spread;
• establishment of primary health care services.

ICD

An important area of ​​WHO activity is the development and improvement of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). It is needed in order to be able to collect, systematize and compare data obtained from different regions over a long period of time. Since 1948, the World Health Organization has led and supported this work. The 10th revision of the ICD is currently in effect. One of the main achievements of this revision is the translation of disease names into alphanumeric form. Now the disease is coded by a letter of the Latin alphabet and three numbers after it. This made it possible to greatly increase the coding structure and reserve free spaces for diseases of unknown etiology and conditions identified during research activities. The modern WHO classification is used when conducting forensic psychiatric examinations, since this is necessary under the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Statistics and norms

An important functional part of the organization is monitoring the health of the population and drawing up, based on the results obtained, standards that determine living conditions for people around the world. For comparability and reliability of data, they are grouped, for example, by age, gender or region of residence, and then processed according to a special methodology developed by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), Eurostat and other UN bodies, including WHO. is based on its statistical content, that is, it is a certain range of values ​​within which the majority of data characteristic of a certain group of people is located. This helps to objectively assess the health status of the population and make appropriate decisions.

It should be noted that WHO standards are periodically revised due to the emergence of new conditions or errors in research. So, 9 years ago the child growth charts were revised.

Child's weight and height

Until 2006, data on child development was collected without taking into account the type of feeding. However, this approach was found to be erroneous, since artificial nutrition greatly distorted the result. Now, according to the new WHO standards, growth is compared with the reference parameters of children who are breastfed, since in this case the best quality of nutrition is ensured. Special tables and graphs help mothers all over the world compare their indicators with the standards. On the official website, the World Health Organization has posted the WHO Anthro program, by downloading which you can estimate the weight and height of a child, as well as examine his nutritional status. Deviation from standard values ​​is a reason to consult with your doctor.

The problem of maintaining breastfeeding has received a lot of attention. WHO includes the preparation of brochures, posters and other materials that promote the rules of natural child nutrition. Printed materials are used in medical institutions and help new mothers breastfeed for a long time, thereby ensuring the most correct and

Organization of breastfeeding

Adequate nutrition of a child is impossible without mother's milk. Therefore, helping the mother in the proper organization of feeding is one of the important tasks of WHO. Recommendations for organizing breastfeeding are as follows:

• It is necessary to put the baby to the breast for the first time within an hour after birth;
• Do not bottle feed your newborn;
• in the maternity hospital, mother and baby should be together;
• apply to the breast as required;
• do not take it off the breast before the baby wants to;
• maintain night feedings;
• do not finish drinking;
• allow one breast to be completely emptied before feeding the other;
• do not wash nipples before feeding;
• do not weigh yourself more than once a week;
• do not pump;
• do not introduce complementary foods until 6 months;
• Continue breastfeeding for up to 2 years.

Individual norms

If for some reason it is not possible to establish breastfeeding, you should remember that artificial babies gain a little more weight than infants. Therefore, when comparing standard indicators with your own data, you need to take this nuance into account.

In addition, there are some hereditary parameters that do not fit into the standard picture. For example, height at birth. Most likely, short parents will have a child with an underestimated height, and tall parents, on the contrary, will have an overestimated one. A slight deviation from the norm should not be a cause for concern; in this case, additional consultation with a pediatrician is simply necessary.

The World Health Organization believes that genetics does not have much influence on the developmental norms of babies under one year of age. The main cause of weight deviations is an unbalanced diet.