The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) have teamed up to promote baby-friendly employment environments for lactating moms.
The goal is to promote the ‘Start Right, Feed Right – From Birth to Two Years’ agenda, which educates parents and caregivers about the importance of good baby nutrition.
UNICEF’s Nutritional Officer, Jevaise Aballo, revealed at a media workshop in Accra on Friday that statistics show a higher percentage of children suffer from malnutrition.
He described the situation as concerning, saying that over 20% of newborns suffer from stunting, thinning, underweight, or anemia as a result of mothers’ inability to feed their children the proper portions of food due to work.
This, he believes, could be remedied by allowing moms to bring their newborns to the offices and nurse them there.
He advocated that when moms had exhausted their three-month maternity leave, each company establish a breastfeeding area with appropriate privacy where they can care for their children.
“It has so many benefits to employer and employee. Definitely, every mother is concerned about the health and nutritional status of their children. It will be very important that they have children close to them and take breaks to breastfeed them as they are working.
“To the employer, you know if you don’t breastfeed, the child tends to fall sick and the caregiver will tell you today I can’t come to the office. It comes at a cost and a loss to the employer,” he noted.
Faustina Vimariba Tour, Regional Nutrition Officer of the GHS, added her voice to the chorus, explaining that breastfeeding is the miracle that allows any kid to reach complete growth.
She claims that exclusive breastfeeding can produce antibodies that protect the baby from malaria, illnesses, and malnutrition.
Madam Tour came out against the practice of pushing babies to eat meals. She advised mothers to be patient with their children and to love them.
Source: myjoyonline.com
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