As the International Week of Bread Feeding celebrations approached their homestretch, Kisii County mothers were sensitised to the importance of the exercise for their children and themselves.
Kisii County-based child care expert Juliet Nyanchama said that the first milk a child receives is important because it strengthens their immune system and cognitive development.
She encouraged mothers to breastfeed their children consistently, especially in the first six months after birth. She wanted their children to grow with healthy bodies and minds.
She advised young mothers to maintain skin-to-skin contact with their children within the first hour after birth to enhance mother-to-child bonding and keep the baby warm and calm.
She said that the mother’s milk is important to her child because it produces antibodies that protect them from childhood-related diseases, such as ear infections, diarrhoea, and respiratory infections.
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“Don’t replace breastfeeding with milk from cows and goats and think that you are doing good to your child, your milk is very important,” she said.
She asked working mothers to ensure that their children get enough time to feed from them by not abandoning everything to the maids, but instead devising ways that enable them to attend to their duties effectively while still providing their children with maternal care.
She thanked some County governments and singled out Migori County for planning to build breastfeeding rooms in markets to ensure women traders have spaces where they can feed their babies.
Mrs Nyanchama asked husbands to turn out in large numbers to accompany their wives in celebrating International Breastfeeding Day, encouraging them to be great mothers.
International Breastfeeding Day was first celebrated in 1992, and since then, it has been marked annually to emphasise the importance of mothers’ milk to children.
By Enock Okong’o.
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