As the world celebrates World Breastfeeding week, nurses and midwives accompanied breastfeeding mothers and their babies in a march through the streets of San Fernando on Saturday.
Coordinated by the Southwest Regional Health Authority, the group walked from the San Fernando General Hospital up High Street, along Coffee Street, Lord Street towards Harris Promenade and back to the hospital.
SWRHA’s coordinator of the Breast Feeding Unit, Yolande Davidson said breastfeeding was important not only for babies but also for mothers.
“This is celebrated worldwide, August 1 to 7. This year the theme is Step up for Breast Feeding. We encourage women to breastfeed for the first six months of the baby’s life. This could continue up to three years.”
She said human milk contains all the nutrition that a baby needs.
Because of the importance of breastfeeding, Davidson said the Ministry of Health established a breastfeeding coordinating unit in 2018.
“They printed a breastfeeding book which we give to all mothers so they can breastfeed effectively. We also have a lactation unit, where we conduct breastfeeding workshops at the Antenatal Unit,” she said.
Davidson said she and her team reach out to breastfeeding mothers on Fridays at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital.
“There when they attend the clinic at the Teaching Hospital we talk about breastfeeding,” she said.
She added that all the children who participated in the march were breastfed, babies.
Breastfeeding protects against allergies, sickness, and obesity. It builds a baby’s immune system to protect against infections and because it is easily digested breast-fed babies are less likely to suffer from constipation, diarrhoea or upset stomach.
Women who breastfeed have a lower risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular diseases.