Prednost i značaj dojenja tokom pandemije / The Advantage and Importance of Breastfeeding during Pandemic

“Dojenje je od suštinskog značaja za zdravlje i razvoj deteta i ima pozitivne efekte na zdravlje žena“,
objašnjava Danijela Živić, patronažna sestra iz Doma zdravlja Gračanica, koja pruža svakodnevnu podršku
mladim majkama o dojenju u okviru patronažne službe, programa kućne posete .
„Prilikom posete porodiljama savetujemo im da odmah počnu sa dojenjem, bez obzira što smo u
vremenu pandemije“, kaže Danijela Živić. „Dojenje bebe od prvog dana života uspostavlja dobar imuni
sistem i beba i majka imaju manji rizik od razvoja COVID-19.
Danijela Živić skoro dve decenije radi kao patronažna sestra i svakodnevnim savetima doprinosi boljem
zdravlju dece i dojilja.
Prilikom prve posete ženama koje su rodile svoju prvu bebu, osim saveta, patronažne sestre uče majke
kako pravilno držati bebu tokom dojenja.
„Tokom prve posete porodici, pokušavamo da uključimo bebinog oca, jer majka treba da bude sigurnija
da uradi pravu stvar. Pored dojenja, savetujemo da je neophodno da oba roditelja ostvare kontakt koža
na kožu sa bebom kako bi dete osetilo bliskost oba roditelja.”
Iako posećuje nekoliko desetina trudnica i trudnica tokom jedne četvrtine, ona ističe da bi „majčin prvi
izbor trebalo da bude da doji svoju bebu“.

Služba patronaže (kućne posete) medicinskih sestara iz Gračanice svoj rad obavlja uz maksimalnu
saradnju i učešće korisnika usluga, posebno kada je u pitanju podrška dojenju i edukacija dojilja o
značaju i prednostima koje dojenje ima za decu i majke.
Patronažna sestra i tokom trudnoće, uz podršku UNICEF-ovog „Programa kućnih poseta“, sprovodi
redovan edukativni zdravstveni rad pružanjem saveta o pravilnoj nezi i ishrani deteta.
Koordinator za polivalentnu medicinu i vakcinaciju protiv COVID-19 Vladimir Petković ističe da u
svakodnevnim razgovorima sa trudnicama i porodiljama savetuje da se vakcinišu protiv COVID-19,
dodajući da je „zadovoljan brojem vakcinisanih trudnica i porodilja “.

Vakcinacija i dojenje
Dvadesetčetvorogodišnja Milica Ivanović nije imala dilemu oko dojenja ćerke, iako se porodila usred
pandemije COVID-19.
Tokom trudnoće plašila se da će se zaraziti korona virusom, a strah ju je naterao da razgovara sa
patronažnim sestrama iz Doma zdravlja Gračanica, koje su joj pružile korisnu podršku i savete.
Dva meseca nakon porođaja, iako je dojila, odlučila je da se vakciniše protiv COVID-19 i smatra da je to
ispravno, pre svega zbog devojčice, a potom i cele porodice.

„Naravno, poslušala sam savet sestre, nastavila sam sa dojenjem. Ja i beba, kao i moj suprug koji je
vakcinisan, osećamo se odlično “, kaže Milica Ivanović.
Početni period je prošao bez ikakvih problema za dete i porodicu, a saveti patronažne sestre iz Doma
zdravlja Gračanica pomogli su Milici da počne sa pravilnim držanjem bebe tokom dojenja.
Prema njenim rečima, iako nije imala dovoljno mleka nakon izlaska iz bolnice, nastavila je da bude
uporna, promenila je ishranu i počela da jede hranu bogatiju mineralima i vitaminima kako bi nastavila
da doji bebu.
Složna porodica Perić oslanja se na oca Srećka, koji se pored brige o domaćinstvu, trudi se da svoje
iskustvo medicinskog tehničara primeni i u vaspitanju svog deteta. Kako ističe: „Tu sam da saslušam
potrebe supruge i našeg deteta, da je posle dojenja podignem da podrigne kao i da njih dve obasipam
ljubavlju svakog dana“, kaže Srećko sa osmehom na licu.
„Zdravlje moje porodice i bebe je bilo na prvom mestu, ovo kažem jer smo kao mladi bračni par naišli na
osudu naših komšija zbog vakcinacije protiv COVID-19, ali jednostavno nisam želela da ulazim u diskusiju
i smatram da svaka trudnica i majka treba da se vakcinišu kako bi se što pre izašlo iz ovog vrtloga
pandemije ”, zaključila je Milica Ivanović koja koristi usluge programa kućnih poseta patronažnih sestara.
Istraživanja su pokazala da se koronavirus ne nalazi u majčinom mleku. Stoga, čak i ako dojilja ima
COVID-19, virus se ne prenosi na dete kroz dojenje. Shodno tome, Svetska zdravstvena organizacija i
UNICEF preporučuju majkama da nastave sa dojenjem uz praktikovanje dobre higijene tokom dojenja.

“Breastfeeding is essential for child’s health and development and has positive effects on
woman’s health”, explains Danijela Živić, home visiting nurse from Gračanica/Graçanicë Health
Center, who provides daily support to young mothers on breastfeeding as part of patronage
(home visiting) service.
“When visiting a mother, we advise them to start breastfeeding immediately, regardless of the
fact that we are in the time of pandemic”, says Danijela Živić. “Breastfeeding a baby from the
first day of life establishes a good immune system and both baby and mother are at lower risk
of developing COVID-19.”
Danijela Živić has been working as a home visiting nurse for almost two decades and by
providing daily advices she contributes to a better health for children and breastfeeding
mothers.
During the first visit to women who gave birth to their first baby, apart from advices, home visiting nurses teach mothers on how to hold babies properly during the breastfeeding process.
“During the first visit to the family, we try to get baby’s father involved, because of the support
mother needs to be safer to do the right thing. In addition to breastfeeding, we advise that it is
necessary for both parents to make skin-to-skin contact with the baby in order for the child to
feel the closeness of both parents.”
Although she visits few dozen pregnant women and new mothers during a quarter, she stresses
that “mother’s first choice should be to breastfeed her baby”.
The Patronage (Home Visiting) Nurse Service from Gračanica/Graçanicë conducts its work with
maximum cooperation and participation of service users, especially when it comes to
breastfeeding support and educating breastfeeding mothers about the importance and benefits
that breastfeeding has for children and mothers.
Even during pregnancy, the Patronage Nurse Service, with the support of UNICEF’s “Home
Visiting program”, conducts regular educational health-care work by providing advices on
proper care and nutrition of a child.
Coordinator for polyvalent medicine and COVID-19 vaccination, Vladimir Petković, points out
that in daily conversations with pregnant women and mothers he advises them to get
vaccinated against COVID-19, adding that he is “satisfied with the number of vaccinated
pregnant women and mothers who breastfeed their children.”

Vaccination and Breastfeeding
Twenty-four years old Milica Ivanović had no dilemma about breastfeeding her daughter,
although she gave birth in the middle of COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout her pregnancy she feared of being infected with coronavirus, and the fear made
her talk to patronage nurses from the Gračanica/Graçanicë Health Centre who offered her
useful support and advices.
Two months after giving birth, even though she was breastfeeding, she decided to get
vaccinated against COVID-19 and said that it was the right thing to do, primarily because of her
little girl and then because of the whole family.
“Of course, I followed nurse’s advice, I continued breastfeeding and I and baby, as well as my
husband who got vaccinated, feel great”, says Milica Ivanović.
The initial period went without any issues for the child and the family, and advice of patronage
nurse from the Gračanica/Graçanicë Health Centre helped Milica to start with the correct
position of the baby while breastfeeding.
According to her, although she did not have enough milk after leaving the hospital, she
continued being persistent, changed her diet, and started eating foods that are richer in
minerals and vitamins in order to continue breastfeeding the baby.
Harmonious Perić family relies on father Srećko, who, in addition to taking care of the
household, also tries to apply his experience as a medical technician in the upbringing of their
child. As he points out: “I am here to listen to the needs of my wife and our child, to raise her
after breastfeeding to burp and to shower the two of them with love every day”, says Srećko
with a satisfied smile on his face.
“My family’s and baby’s health came first, I say this because we as a young married couple have
encountered condemnation by our neighbors for being vaccinated against COVID-19, but I just
did not want to get into the discussion and consider that every pregnant woman and mother
should be vaccinated in order to get out of this vortex of pandemic as soon as possible”,
concluded Milica Ivanović which uses patronage nurses Home Visiting Programme services.
Studies have shown that coronavirus is not found in breast milk. Therefore, even if the
breastfeeding woman has COVID-19, the virus does not transmit to the child through
breastfeeding. Accordingly, the World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend that
mothers continue breastfeeding while practicing good hygiene during feeding.