Essos Hospital Centre Celebrates Breastfeeding Day
Midwives from the Neonatal Unit at the Essos Hospital Centre teamed up with breastfeeding mothers to upgrade their techniques and knowledge on how to ensure balanced breastfeeding for the good growth and health of newborn babies.
Around twenty breastfeeding mothers lined up in tight rows to accept the invitation from Midwives to learn more about breastfeeding. Curious and impatient, it was in this highly attentive atmosphere that Alamine Mey, Director of the Essos Hospital Centre, gave his opening speech, reassuring them of the significance of this commemorative day and the importance of the Neonatal Unit within the hospital.
Flore Keimeka, President of the Hospital’s midwives and moderator of the event, then took the opportunity to remind mothers of the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.
According to paediatric specialist Dr Nga Motaze Annie Carole, Head of the Neonatal Unit, 1/3 of children in Cameroon die as a result of poor breastfeeding. One of the main causes of this is the restricted use of artificial milk by working mothers. Often absent and unable to be at the bedside when their baby needs to be fed due to the absence of a “baby home” in the workplace, most working mothers opt to feed their babies with artificial milk, even though this is prohibited for children aged between 1 and 6 months. Angel Azo'o, a specialist nurse, took the opportunity to give an in-depth technical presentation on the breast pump, which helps to preserve milk during absences and is essential for working mothers.
During the discussions, Jordane, a young mother of a 2-month-old baby, expressed her concern about her low milk production, which was restricting her baby's appetite. This gave the specialists from the Essos Hospital Centre the opportunity to talk on the techniques for handling the breast before feeding, to enable the milk to flow more freely. “You need to be relaxed, and above all feed your baby on one breast for at least 30 minutes. It's very important for your baby's appetite”, Dr Nga Motaze Annie advises all breastfeeding mothers. She adds: “To mothers who have got into the bad habit of replacing breast milk with water, I urge you to stop. Breast milk already contains 87% water, as well as other vitamins A and B, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and cholesterol, among others. So stop this practice”.
The immersion surrounding this event gave breastfeeding mothers the opportunity to learn and sing along to the hymn of exclusive breastfeeding. It was a celebration based on the theme of "Enabling breastfeeding to work in favour of working parents", with young breastfeeding mothers taking a keen interest in the event. The specialists from Essos Hospital Centre were able to get to realise the realities of breastfeeding in the workplace and help them to overcome them, so as to achieve balanced productivity in both their professional and maternal lives.
Jordan Ndouga, a young breastfeeding mother, expressed her satisfaction on leaving the school: “I really learnt a lot. I came here with a lot of questions, and I went back with a lot of knowledge about my milk productivity and how to control my baby's appetite. I've learnt how to store milk, feeding techniques and so on. Thank you so much to the Essos Hospital Centre for this wonderful care for breastfeeding mothers”.
It was a long day of sharing and learning that came to an end at the premises of the Essos Hospital Centre, with the pleasure of good nutrition and the growth of babies, who only want to be satiated by breast milk, exclusively.
