61 per cent of mothers exclusively breastfeed their children and understand the importance of doing so until a child is six months. According to the Ministry of Health, if all children were exclusively breastfed for six months, 13 per cent preventable deaths would be saved.
Director of Medical Services Jackson Kioko during the launch of the World Breastfeeding Week said the Ministry of Health was working with employers in the private and public sector to increase
maternity leave period from three to six months.
“All institutions will soon have to abide by the law and set up breastfeeding rooms to provide a conducive working environment for breastfeeding mothers,” Kioko said.
A representative from COTU Teresa Wabuko, also said they’ll ensure working shifts are favourable and flexible for all breastfeeding mothers in order to make them more productive.
Unicef executive director Antony Lake said that globally, the cost of lower cognitive ability associated with lack of breastfeeding amounts to about US$300 billion (Sh30trillion) annually.
Director of Medical services Jackson Kioko also said frustrations due to lack of breastfeeding stations at their work place, has attributed to absenteeism and results to loss of economic development as most mothers who are not able to breastfeed their children well ,expose them to diseases.
“A mother will spend a day or more at home with a sick child who wasn’t breastfed as required. She loses money and the employer also loses out,” Kioko said
Kioko said mothers should express breastmilk while they are away from their child in order to maintain milk flow and prevent breast conditions.
“Breastfeeding mothers should express milk as often as your baby would breastfeed which is every two to three hours,”Kioko said.
According to the Ministry of Health, keeping your baby close to you with plenty of skin to skin contact will help your child who has refused to breastfeed, do so again. Most babies refuse to breastfeed when sick or becasue of sudden changes that upset them. Mothers are therefore advised not to rush weaning before six months.
“Your baby should breastfeed at least eight to 12 times a day. Even if your baby is ill or sleepy, one is advised to wake them up after every two to three hours to breastfeed, ” stated a recent report on best breastfeeding practices.
MoH head of Nutrition and Dietetics Unit, Gladys Mugambi said the ministry is running community and private sector based organisations that will ensure 80 per cent of women in the country exclusively breastfeed for six months and continue breastfeeding until the age of two.
According to Gladys this can be achieved by a good feeding program for breastfeeding mothers as well as supportive working environments.
“Men should also support their wives as this encourages them to enjoy breastfeeding their child from time to time,” she said.
Mothers in the informal sector were also said not to be breastfeeding as required as most of them especially those in their youth, felt breastfeeding would physically damage their looks.
Wajir West member of parliament Abdikadir Ore said he and a number his colleagues were supporting a bill to ensure breastfeeding mothers have a conducive working environment and were going to ensure that it was passed in parliament.