Breastfeeding Said to be Key in the Growth of a Child

Seme MP, Hon. Dr. James Nyikal who is also a member of the Health committee today reiterated the need for a law to mainstream the act of breastfeeding across the country and ensure mothers in both formal and informal employment get a chance to adequately breastfeed.

 “The National Assembly recently passed a motion that directs the Ministry of Health to enforce the establishment of adequately equipped lactation stations in all health and non-health facilities that shall promote and encourage breastfeeding.”

 “Indeed as Parliament we shall proceed to enact this motion into law very soon,” said Dr. Nyikal.

 According to Dr. Nyikal, the current practice of confining breastfeeding to toilets and restrooms is unacceptable. “Toilets and restrooms cannot be the dining areas for our babies,” he added. The MP was speaking at the Nestle Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA) conference today.

Over 500 health practitioners plus key opinion leaders among them First Ladies and Health Executives from the 47 counties took part in the Scientific Conference on Breastfeeding which was themed, “Breastfeeding: A Key to Good Nutrition and Wellbeing.”

 Mrs. Josephine Kachapin, the First Lady of West Pokot County decried poverty, livelihood and living arrangements as major obstacles to breastfeeding in the country. “While women in rural and urban settings are faced with varied circumstances regarding breastfeeding due to the complexity of their situations, they are faced with a shared dilemma of resuming work shortly after delivery and work for long hours so as to make a living, leaving them unable to breastfeed optimally.”

 Other challenges identified at the conference include early marriages and single motherhood, poor social and professional support, poor knowledge, myths and misconceptions, HIV and AIDS.

 Baringo County was commended for championing breastfeeding in the country through its breastfeeding support groups initiatives that are supported by county health volunteers and nutrition officers.

 “Women come together to share knowledge on nutrition, childcare and best practices in breastfeeding through the breastfeeding support groups. Although the availability of food is a challenge to pregnant and lactating mothers, we have partnered with World Food Programme to supply food supplement to the women in need,” said Dr. Andrew Kwonyike, County Executive Committee Member for Health, Baringo County.

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 This was the second edition of the Nestle Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA) conference to be held in Nairobi after the first one held last year.

 “The NNIA conference is organized as part of the celebrations of the World’s Breastfeeding Week. This year, the World’s Breastfeeding Week celebrations aimed at chatting the way towards the attainment of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number three which focuses on improving Nutrition and wellbeing through the support of breastfeeding,” said Professor Fredrick Were, Dean Faculty of Medicine at The University of Nairobi, and a member of the Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa board.

 Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa is an independent, non-profit making organisation and the non-commercial arm of Nestlé. According to Professor Were, NNIA strongly believes that exclusive breastfeeding during first six months of an infant’s life is best and has created a number of initiatives to raise awareness on the importance of right nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life.

 “The institute fosters ‘Science for Better Nutrition’ because we are convinced that innovative, science-based nutrition can help enhance the quality of people’s lives all over Africa. This conference is part of other educative workshops organised by the institute to empower health professionals and other related stakeholders on issues of health and nutrition,” said Professor Fredrick Were.

 During the same conference last year, delegates called on employers to establish facilities that would support breastfeeding mothers. This recommendation is now expected to take root in a larger scale after the Kenyan parliament early this year, approved the breastfeeding clause in the Health bill 2015 that makes it mandatory for employers to provide breastfeeding crèches at the workplace.

 The NNIA is a virtual institute and its vision is to aim for a future where people across the African continent are living longer and healthier lives. It partners with healthcare professionals by offering them nutrition information, education and a platform for networking and the sharing of new research and developments.