Doctor Shem Patta during the Breastfeeding awareness campaign. [Photo/Maxwell Ngala]
Mombasa County government through its health department marked this year’s world breastfeeding week by awarding more than 50 mothers in the County for exclusively breastfeeding their babies for 6 months.
The annual ceremony that is usually marked from 1st to 7th of August had been delayed due to the general election.
According to the County Director of Health Shem Patta, records indicated that almost 13% of deaths in children under the age of five can be prevented if children are exclusively breastfed for 6 months.
He further reiterated that child mortality can be reduced by proper health and nutritional measures taken by mothers and the community.
“From child birth up to 6 months, babies should exclusively be fed on mother’s milk. Breast feeding has lots of nutritional and health values to the new-born,” urged Dr. Patta.
The awarded women will act as champions of the program in the community.
During the event held at the Agha Khan hospital in Mombasa on Thursday, mothers shared their experiences and challenges on breastfeeding while working and how best they overcame the hurdles.
Lactating mothers were advised not to stop breast feeding their babies due to their tight working schedules instead they should adopt techniques such as “expressing” a method where mothers express the milk by hand or with a breast pump and refrigerating it for the baby.
According to a 2014 statistics by Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), 68% of women in Mombasa conducted exclusive breastfeeding. This has shown a great improvement over the years while more sensitization programs were being conducted across the County.
In her remarks, County Nutrition officer Esha Bakari appealed to employers to allow for flexible working hours to enable mothers to breastfeed their babies noting its numerous benefits to children.