SEVERAL mothers from the province attended the "The Big Latch on 2018" at SM City in Bacolod City yesterday to help spread awareness on the health benefits of breastfeeding.
In line with the World Breastfeeding Week from August 3 to 5, the Philippine Pediatric Society-Negros Occidental chapter mounted a celebration in the cities of Bacolod, Talisay, Silay, Cadiz, Kabankalan, and Sipalay to further promote, protect and support breastfeeding as the best way to feed babies.
Philippine Pediatric Society-Negros Occidental Chapter has partnered with the Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital, Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, Doctors Hospital and Bacolod Adventist Medical Center for yesterday's activity.
Dr. Katrina Trebol-Villapando, PPS breastfeeding committee and liaison for community, said the goal of this event is to normalize breastfeeding in Bacolod City and in Negros Occidental.
"This is a simultaneous latch on of mommies throughout the first weekend of World Breastfeeding Week."
"We have multiple locations all over the Philippines and in the world and we have six locations in Negros Occidental. This is the first time ever for these four hospitals to mount this event with the assistance and partnership with SM Cares Foundation, Mommy Groups, Bacolod Mom and Baby Club which have been mounting this event since 2013 and also Baby Steps Breastfeeding Mommies," she said.
She said that it is a known fact that breastfeeding is beneficial to both mommies and their babies as far as health is concerned. "But there are situations where mothers can hardly breastfeed their babies especially when they are in public places because many are really shy and ashamed that many people would see them doing it."
"With this event, we want to make it normal that breastfeeding will not cause shame to moms to do it in the public because, in fact, they are just feeding their babies. We do not have to hide under covers when breastfeeding our babies because the fact is, a lot of babies do not like to be under a cover when being breastfed. What we are doing here is to help promote breastfeeding," she said.
The health benefits to babies when being breastfed is that they become healthier, less prone to infection such as diarrhea and ear infection, respiratory tract infection, obesity and even leukemia. For moms, breast feeding can help reduce weight, less prone to bleeding and it can also be used as a natural contraceptive method for the first six months but with parameters, she said.
As for those who have difficulties of producing breast milk, she explained that moms should understand how milk is produced by their bodies.
"For the first two days after child's birth, the milk that comes out from the mom's is little, thick and sticky which is called colostrum. That is packed with anti-bodies and Vitamin A. Newborn babies can only consume milk from five to seven milliliter which is very little in order to be full. What is more important as parameters is the output of babies that they urinate and defecate regularly," said Villapando.