Trans Nzoia county department of Health Educate Lactating Mothers to Ensure Exclusive Breastfeeding
The Trans Nzoia county department of health has expressed concern and efforts support and educate lactating mothers to ensure exclusive breastfeeding for six months without introducing any other food to their children.
The support and breastfeeding education in health facilities across the county not only takes place after pregnancy but both prenatal and postnatal periods to effectively increase the rates of breastfeeding for 6 months and beyond.
Health CEC Clare Wanyama confirms that breastfeeding has important positive long-term health consequences for infants and mothers.
“Infants who are breastfed for longer periods have lower infectious morbidity and mortality and higher intelligence than infants who are not breastfed or breastfed for shorter periods,”she
Mrs Wanyama added that the beneficial effects of breastfeeding for mothers include protection against breast cancer, improved birth spacing, and potential protection against diabetes and ovarian cancer.
In a bid to cater for lactating mothers working in the county government,Mrs Wanyama assured the workers of a policy that will enable them to have an hour or so set aside to enable them breastfeed their babies while at work.
County nutrition officer Lydia Kimani noted that as breastfeeding plays an important role in public health for mothers and children,the department of health is conducting outreach in various places across the county to educate and sensitize pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers on the importance of breastfeeding and in a bid to increase the rates of breastfeeding.
According to Mrs Kimani the county government has placed community health volunteers and nutritionists to sensitize the women in matters of the kind of diet to take during and after pregnancy to enhance production of milk for breastfeeding.
“With support from trained counselors and nutritionists within our health facilities,we educate pregnant and breastfeeding mothers to plan their diets ,enhance breastfeeding and growth of their infants,”said Mrs Kimani.
Kimani called on men to also embrace breastfeeding promotion programmes which provide education and information about breastfeeding to women throughout pre and post natal care as they play a critical role in supporting women during the respective periods
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