Advocating for the start of breastfeeding: highlighting its numerous advantages

In the central province of Thanh Hoá, a 30-year-old woman named Vi Thị Vinh is breastfeeding her three-month-old baby, who is her third child. Vi Thị Vinh is one of the beneficiaries of the Timed and Targeted Counselling (TTC) model, a community-based health intervention developed by World Vision International.

The TTC model focuses on improving child and maternal health during the first 1,000 days, a critical period that significantly impacts a child's future development. This model delivers a series of high-impact interventions, seven during pregnancy and eleven for children under two years old. These interventions include counselling on nutrition, breastfeeding, newborn care, and infection prevention, all tailored to the developmental stage of the mother or child.

Vi Thị Vinh, like many other pregnant women and caregivers in Vietnam, has benefited from personalised home visits that reinforce health knowledge and promote improved care practices directly in the family setting. These visits are conducted by home counsellors, who are trained community health volunteers, and play a crucial role by visiting families at specific times, such as early pregnancy and infancy, and providing advice and support to improve health outcomes.

For Vi Thị Vinh, this support has been instrumental. She has received advice on proper nutrition during her pregnancy, taken iron supplements, and vaccinations. Her baby is now exclusively breastfed, a practice that has significantly reduced malnutrition rates, thanks in part to the TTC model.

Malnutrition can present in three forms: underweight children, stunted growth, or acute malnutrition (wasting). Countries that boost the exclusive breastfeeding rate above 70% can significantly reduce the burden of disease and medical costs. In Vietnam, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of a child's life remains low, at approximately 45%.

The TTC model is designed to address this issue, as well as other health challenges faced by pregnant women and young children in Vietnam. It supports maternal and child health by providing stage-specific counselling to pregnant women, mothers, and caregivers of young children, focusing especially on nutrition and prevention of infectious diseases.

The provincial Department of Health in Thanh Hoá plays an important role in implementing breastfeeding programmes and has issued many intervention strategies to improve nutrition for children, with the goal of reducing malnutrition rates. Huyền, a community health worker, conducts regular visits to provide guidance and support during the early newborn, infant, and toddler care stages.

However, support for mothers during pregnancy and after birth, especially in remote, mountainous, and ethnic community areas, is still limited. World Vision International continues to focus on expanding the TTC model to reach more women and families in need, ensuring that every child in Vietnam gets the best start in life.

Sources: [1] World Vision International. (n.d.). Timed and Targeted Counselling (TTC) model. Retrieved from https://www.wvi.org/what-we-do/programmes/child-health/timed-and-targeted-counselling-ttc-model

The government is working to improve child and maternal health, particularly during the first 1,000 days, through initiatives like the Timed and Targeted Counselling (TTC) model.
The TTC model delivers a series of high-impact interventions, including counselling on nutrition, breastfeeding, and infection prevention, tailored to the mother or child's developmental stage.
Vi Thị Vinh, a beneficiary of the TTC model, has received advice on proper nutrition during her pregnancy and exclusively breastfeeds her three-month-old baby.
Exclusive breastfeeding can significantly reduce malnutrition rates, a significant health issue in Vietnam, where the rate remains low at approximately 45%.
Malnutrition can present in three forms: underweight children, stunted growth, or acute malnutrition (wasting).
Improved health outcomes for mothers and children are dependent on personalised home visits from trained community health volunteers, who provide advice and support.
For Vi Thị Vinh, these home visits have been instrumental in her pregnancy and her baby's health.
Vietnam's Department of Health plays a crucial role in implementing breastfeeding programmes and has issued strategies to improve nutrition for children.
Support for mothers in remote, mountainous, and ethnic community areas is still limited, but organizations like World Vision International continue to focus on expanding health interventions.
The TTC model supports maternal and child health by providing stage-specific counselling on nutrition and infectious diseases to pregnant women, mothers, and caregivers of young children.
The TTC model is designed to address health challenges faced by pregnant women and young children in Vietnam, including malnutrition.
Boosting the exclusive breastfeeding rate above 70% can significantly reduce the burden of disease and medical costs.
The TTC model is a community-based health intervention developed by World Vision International.
Huyèn, a community health worker, conducts regular visits to provide guidance and support during the early newborn, infant, and toddler care stages.
The TTC model focuses on improving child and maternal health during the first 1,000 days, a critical period that significantly impacts a child's future development.
World Vision International continues to focus on expanding the TTC model to reach more women and families in need, ensuring that every child in Vietnam gets the best start in life.
Improved nutrition for children is a key goal of intervention strategies issued by Vietnam's Department of Health.
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