Upper East Launches World Breast Feeding Week

Zebilla, (UE), Nov. 01, GNA- The Upper East Region on Friday launched the World Breast Feeding Week at Zebilla in the Bawku West District with a call on mothers to breast feed their children immediately after birth. Dr. John Koku Awoonor-Williams, Upper East Regional Director of Health, made the call during the celebration of the Week in Zebilla. He indicated that one of the major breast-feeding problems the region was facing which needed urgent attention was the discarding of colostrum, the first yellowish breast milk as bad or poisonous instead of giving it to the child to give the first protection against diseases. He indicated that the instance where mothers give water, herbs and other concoctions to the infant hence denying the child breast milk for the initial three or four days after birth was not the best for the health of babies.

He explained that the importance of breastfeeding cannot be overemphasized and said the early initiation of breast feeding fosters the bond between mother and child, and stimulates the production of breast milk.

Dr. Awoonor-Williams said the infant benefits immediately from the properties of colostrums and also benefited the mother since the release of hormones stimulated by suckling at the breast causes the womb to contract and therefore stop serious post delivery bleeding. He emphasized that breast milk contains all the nutrients needed for child growth and development, particularly during the early months of life and indicated that it was more digestible by babies than any other substitute.

Exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months ensured that the infant received the maximum health and nutritional benefits from breast milk, he noted, adding that breast milk strengthens the development of the infant's defence system and reduces the risk of many common childhood diseases such as diarrhoea and acute respiratory tract infection.

Dr Awoonor-Williams explained that breast feeding also helps increase child spacing through the suppression of ovulation and said increased birth spacing is associated with improvement in the child's nutritional status and the health of the mother. He appealed to traditional leaders, parents and guardians to ensure that parents of newly born babies give special attention to breast-feeding.

Mr. Alhassan Samari, Upper East Regional Minister, in a speech read for him entreated all Municipal and District Assemblies to put the promotion of breast feeding on their agenda and let it reflect in their Action Plans.

He noted that many mothers do not yet know the importance of breast-feeding, and stressed the need for massive education and sensitization to get them to do the right thing.

He said the Government attaches more importance to children and that was why it put in place the Baby Friendly Facility Initiatives and said the region was benefiting from 31 of such facilities.

Mr. Samari noted that another strategy put in place by the Ghana Health Service to improve breast feeding practices in Ghana is the Essential Nutrition Action which included timely complementary feeding, early start of breast feeding, birth spacing among others. In his welcoming address, the Bawku West District Chief Executive, Mr. Desmond Bugbilla, said his outfit would intensify more education and sensitization programmes on the importance of breast-feeding and to get mothers to practice the system. He appealed to traditional leaders to modify certain cultural practices that were militating against the popularisation of breast-feeding.