Breastfeeding Week commences…Major emphasis to be placed on supporting mothers

Sep 14, 2008 News

---

There can never be enough emphasis on the need to encourage mothers to engage in the act of breastfeeding, especially for the first six months of their babies’ lives.
Coordinator of the Region Three Breastfeeding Committee, Ms Savitri Chandrabose, articulated on this notion during a recent interview with this newspaper.

According to the nurse of more than 30 years, there will be no letting-up in promoting the need for breastfeeding, even as Breastfeeding Week commences today.
Under the theme: Support Breastfeeding, Give our children the “Golden” start in life, Breastfeeding Week will be observed in Guyana until Saturday.
The use of the word ‘golden’ in the theme was chosen, according to nurse Chandrabose, to stress that breast milk is ‘as precious as gold’ and is often cherished by many.
In order to highlight the many ways in which mothers can be supported, an entire week of activities has been streamlined for the West Demerara District.
According to Nurse Chandrabose, the planned activities come as a boost to the sustained efforts that the committee has been undertaking throughout the year to highlight the importance of breastfeeding.
As part of the committee’s effort, the nurse noted, the service of a ‘breastfeeding counsellor’ is available at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, which is arguably the lone medical facility that offers such a service.
On a Monday-to-Friday basis, in excess of 200 mothers are counselled by Ms Ranie Ramkissoon, who, just 10 months ago, replaced the previous counsellor.
According to Ms Ramkissoon, a session is never completed unless she is able to exhort the importance of breastfeeding and the need for mothers to be supported by family members.
She disclosed that, once mothers attend the forum in the company of their husbands or any other members of their families, they, too, are exposed to the facts about breast milk, which does not only have the potential of fully nourishing a baby for the first six months of its life, but can also help to boost the baby’s IQ.
She disclosed that breastfeeding is even highlighted in the economic sense, since it could contribute to significantly less finances being directed towards the upkeep of the baby.
Ms Ramkissoon says that, as soon as a pregnant woman starts to visit clinic at the West Demerara Hospital, the woman can be sure to have an encounter with her.
These encounters, she explained, are done both individually and in groups.
But, according to the counsellor, although the need to breastfeed babies is continually highlighted, there is still the challenge of dealing with some mothers, and even their relatives, who cannot comprehend the fact that breast is best and it can work effectively alone.

There is also the incidence of mothers with inverted nipples who, according to Ms Ramkissoon, are not always willing to have that problem resolved in order to breast feed.
However, with the requisite literature, Ms Ramkissoon claims, she has been able to get through to her clients; and she believes that the intended objective is usually achieved.
In addition to sustained sensitisation sessions, Nurse Chandrabose revealed, the Breastfeeding Committee has been engaging in other activities, such as the preparation of a breastfeeding poster which was not only recognised locally, but even by the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI) in Jamaica.
The poster, according to Nurse Chandrabose, accentuated how important it is that fathers of newborn babies support their partners by encouraging them to rely solely on breast milk.
It also emphasised that not only mothers can have the closer bond with their babies through the breastfeeding process, but fathers can also be able to have this privilege.
The detailed layout and the catchy lines which effectively brought home the importance of breastfeeding saw the poster being selected for a special award for its originality at the CFNI 2006 Caribbean Nutrition Promotion Awards competition.
The members of the Region Three Breast Feeding Committee have since created an almanac which also emphasises the importance of breast milk.
The week of activities will kick-off today with a church service at the Maternity Ward of the West Demerara Hospital, following which mothers will be presented with tokens, compliments of the committee.
An exhibition aimed at highlighting facts about breast milk will be undertaken on Monday at the Outpatient Department of the hospital, and this is expected to reach a large cross-section of persons visiting the facility, Nurse Chandrabose noted.
That event, she said, will focus extensively on lending support to mothers in the quest of breast feeding their babies.
On Tuesday, a special workshop will be held at the facility with a view to enlightening members of staff of the baby-friendly status of the institution.
Wednesday and Thursday will constitute mainly of outreach activities to sensitise residents of various communities.
The activities will, however, culminate on Friday with a grand walkathon, which will start at the Crane Turn and end at the hospital.
Some 100 T-shirts have been printed by the committee for this purpose, and will be sold at the subsidised cost of $300.

---

---