Narok health officers have conducted a program to sensitize on the importance of breastfeeding among women as they commemorate World Breastfeeding Week.
This exercise comes as the county joins the rest in the country to celebrate the breastfeeding week that started this week; on Tuesday 1st, August, and ends next week on Monday 7th, 2023.
Nancy Kamiti, head of the nutrition department at Narok referral hospital, said that world breastfeeding week is commemorated annually and the Narok County nutrition department uses the opportunity to educate women on the importance of breastfeeding.
“World breastfeeding week is a global annual commemoration event and as a department, we join the rest of the world to commemorate and educate women on the importance of breastfeeding,” stressed Kamiti.
He added that the department has always been at the forefront of supporting women working in different departments through the building of lactation rooms in different institutions to make it easy for them to breastfeed.
Further, Kamiti stated that breastfeeding was very important for both the mother and the baby noting a baby that has gone through proper breastfeeding is normally well developed in terms of intelligent quotient (IQ) compared to others.
According to the nutritionist, babies under six months are not supposed to eat anything else besides breast milk and therefore it enhances proper growth and helps them develop proper immunity.
“Breastfeeding is important to infants as it enhances higher IQ and proper growth as babies below the age of six months cannot eat any other food besides breast milk,” stated Kamiti.
Breast milk is a source of a number of minerals that are very important to babies as they grow. Therefore, mothers should facilitate continuous breastfeeding for at least six months before introducing babies to any other forms of feeding.
The nutritionist warned women who shun breastfeeding, stating that breastfeeding helps in reducing chances of being infected by diseases such as breast cancer, mastitis, and engorgement of the breasts.
Also, women were advised to eat a proper diet as poor nutrition while breastfeeding leads to a lack of enough breast milk which subsequently affects the baby.
Another nutritionist, Elizabeth Ndung’u, highlighted that breastfeeding mothers should embrace a proper diet that is particularly rich in proteins.
Ndung’u warned women against feeding babies under the age of six months hard foods mixed with milk as it causes obesity and also diarrhea.
She noted that wrong positioning during breastfeeding is dangerous to the baby, and may actually cause physical injuries.
The nutritionist also advised the community not to overwork breastfeeding women but instead, ensure they get enough and a proper diet during the lactating period.
By John Kaleke and Amos Maina
