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Chen Yilin has just turned a year old. Rosycheeked and always smiling, Yilin is adored by her neighbours, but no one is happier or prouder than her mother, Hu Xiangrong.

©UNICEF/China/2011/Yan Lu Chen Yilin and her mother.

Ms. Hu, who decided to have a second child after the earthquake, is especially grateful that Yilin is healthy and strong. “I'm 40 years now. I feel really blessed to have such a healthy girl,” she said.

In the three years since the earthquake, UNICEF has worked with health authorities to rehabilitate and improve maternal and child health (MCH) services throughout the earthquake zone. One area in which UNICEF has been working is infant and young child nutrition, and support to exclusive breastfeeding for babies in their first six months of life.

Health staff at Yinghua Town Central Hospital in Sichuan Province's Shifang County, where Ms. Hu gave birth, received UNICEF-supported training on providing breastfeeding counselling to new mothers. While breastfeeding is a natural act, it is also a learned behaviour, and new mothers require active support for establishing and sustaining appropriate breastfeeding practices. As a result of the training, today, even families living in remote mountainous villages of the earthquake zone are
able to access scientific breastfeeding knowledge and approaches.

For Ms. Hu, who exclusively breastfed Yilin for the first six months, the increased awareness and promotion of breastfeeding in the three years since the earthquake are especially noticeable. When Ms. Hu gave birth to her first child, “I knew little about breastfeeding. I fed my baby milk powder because I thought my breastmilk was not good enough,” she said. With her first baby, Ms. Hu also began to introduce supplementary food items, including adult food, to the baby's diet at three months of age.
 

©UNICEF/CHINA/2011/Yan Lu A mother holds her new-born baby in a hospital.

"I didn't know that breastmilk is actually the best food for babies until I attended a breastfeeding education session. I also learned that I should feed my baby when she gets hungry, not only at fixed intervals," Ms. Hu said. "The doctors told us that breastfeeding has many benefits. It not only boosts the immunity of the child, but is also cheap and convenient."

UNICEF has also helped to support the timely and appropriate introduction of complementary foods for babies after their first six months of life. In the three years since the earthquake, township hospitals throughout the earthquake zone have conducted a series of advocacy activities to promote improved feeding knowledge and behaviour among parents and caregivers.

Ms. Hu has taken all the knowledge that she has gained from the doctors at the hospital to provide her baby with the best possible start in life. “Yilin eats a lot. Every day, I feed her five times. She likes all the food that I give her, including egg and tofu gruel and bits of vegetable, fruit and meat.” Ms. Hu added, “Yilin is my hope and my happiness. I will do everything that I can to raise her well.”

"Many people here live in mountainous areas, and it used to be very difficult for them to access scientific feeding knowledge and practice. Before the earthquake, the incidence of anaemia, stunting and low birth weight here was very high. More than half of the children here between the ages of 6 and 24 months were anaemic. Today, the situation has changed greatly and babies are healthier,” said Dr. Fang Lunju, the director of the gynaecology and obstetrics department at Yinghua Town Central Hospital.

By Cheng Jing