Millions of children every year require wasting treatment. Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is an energy-dense, life-saving product that gives wasted children the nutrients they need to survive. Learn more about specialized foods for wasting treatment, a Power 4 nutrition intervention.
Despite the proven benefits of supplying pregnant women with a full dosage of multiple-micronutrient supplements (MMS), the majority of women do not have access to these critical supplements. MMS not only prevents maternal death and still births, it also increases the chances a baby will be born at a healthy weight and survive to his or her second birthday. Learn more about prenatal vitamins for pregnant women, a Power 4 nutrition intervention.
Babies get the best start at life when they drink nothing but breastmilk until they are 6 months old, and continue breastfeeding until they are 2 years old while also consuming other nutritious complementary foods. Learn more about breastfeeding, a Power 4 nutrition intervention.
We are missing many opportunities to support breastfeeding in the United States. In the healthcare system, broken communication, competing priorities, and low confidence in support skills create roadblocks for lactation support throughout the breastfeeding journey. As a consequence of these missed opportunities, 60% of mothers stop breastfeeding before they planned, and only a quarter of babies are exclusively breastfed at six months old despite high breastfeeding initiation rates. Our system is failing breastfeeding families. Supporting families every step of the way requires frequent & consistent education, counseling, problem solving, and communication among all providers.
August 1st marks the beginning of National Breastfeeding Month and World Breastfeeding Week, celebrating the benefits of breastfeeding for families in the United States and around the world. All month long, 1,000 Days and its fellow advocates will be highlighting breastfeeding in different communities and how we can build a landscape of breastfeeding support.
Imagine a world where the darkness of malnutrition is extinguished and strong, healthy children can continue towards a bright, waiting future. With an investment in nutrition, we can help make that happen.
There are four essential actions (breastfeeding support, prenatal vitamins, specialized foods for wasting treatment, Vitamin A supplementation) we can take now to prevent children from dying of severe malnutrition. These interventions span the course of the critical 1,000-day period between a woman’s pregnancy and a child’s second birthday, when there is a unique window of opportunity to build healthier and more prosperous futures for mothers and their babies.
The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the globe and disrupted food supplies, restricted—and in many cases, shut down–access to nutritious meals and health services for millions of children and pregnant or breastfeeding women. When we invest in nutrition, we CAN build resiliency, reduce disparities, and create conditions to ensure today’s children are nourished in ways that secures their health today, tomorrow and into the future.
Nearly half of all births in the United States are financed by Medicaid, which covers women for 60 days postpartum; however, 50% or more of pregnancy-related deaths occur after 60 days, and women of color are at the greatest risk. To help ensure all women in the U.S. have a healthy first 1,000 days, women with a Medicaid-covered birth should receive postpartum coverage for 12 months.
Women need adequate support to have a healthy first 1,000 days. This brief explains the critical roles that birth doulas and lactation consultants play in improving outcomes and reducing racial and ethnic disparities during birth and the postpartum period.
A recording of the virtual event The Looming Threat of Malnutrition in the COVID-19 Pandemic hosted by 1,000 Days, Bread for the World and InterAction.
Speakers included:
(Moderator) Jenny Marron, Director for Public Policy and Government Relations, InterAction
Congressman Jim McGovern
Skye Fitzgerald, Emmy and Oscar nominated documentary filmmaker
Karin Lapping, Nutrition Technical Director at FHI Solutions
Asma Lateef, Director at Bread for the World Institute
Shawn K Baker, Chief Nutritionist at USAID
