Breastfeeding can save millions

Breastfeeding is a basic instinct for all animals and people. However, in some cases the instinct has been suppressed by the pressures of modernity, which makes the plight of a breastfeeding working mother even direr.

Recently, Sheraton Hotel's Rwenzori Ball Room was abuzz with talk of the challenges working mothers face when breastfeeding their babies.

Speaking at the dinner, organised by Philips Avent, the guest of honour Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye said working mothers should be provided with opportunities to breastfeed often and wherever they are.

"Breastfeeding is the normal way of feeding infants and babies should breastfeed exclusively for the first six months before complementary foods are introduced," said Dr. Tumwesigye, the former Health minister and now minister for Science and Innovation.

However, for Jane Nambi (not real name), breastfeeding was a daunting task because of work. "My boss would not give me time to breastfeed," she said.

Unlike Nambi that knows the benefits of breastfeeding for her child's nourishment and immunity building, Dr. Tumwesigye said ironically some working mothers are notorious for not breastfeeding yet they know its values.

"According to WHO, if every child breastfed up to two years, approximately 800, 000 children would be saved every year in the world. Breast milk is nourishment and medicine," said Dr. Tumwesigye.

Conceding that working mothers do face challenges, Dr. Tumwesigye listed some of them as: a lack of sufficient breaks at work, inadequate sleep because they have to wake up in the night to breastfeed and absentee fathers that lead to breastfeeding mothers fending for the home.    

He thus thanked Philips Avent for making healthcare products to help, especially, working mothers to breastfeed their babies.

Philips Avent's Mumbi Mubari explained at the dinner, which doubled as a re-launch of the company in Kampala, that their breast pumps, bottles, sterilizer and breast milk bag are handy for working mothers.

"The pump helps mothers to express breast milk, which they put in the bag and store in a fridge. This will ensure that the child has breast milk even though the mother is at work," said Mumbi.

She said they also have innovative nipple protectors for mothers with sore nipples, which allows the child to breastfeed without causing the mother any grief. "We also have nipple cream that soothes sore nipples," she added.

Reiterating the importance of breastfeeding, Mubari quoted WHO 2013 report, saying 6.3million children under five die worldwide; nearly 17, 000 every day and one child every five seconds.

"Children's immune system with breastfeeding can make them healthier and avert infant mortality," she said.

Philips Avent Head of Business Development East Africa Howard Mutimbo explained that though the company was previously known for manufacturing electronics, it is now into healthcare products.

Not all breastfeed

Albeit breastfeeding is naturally the best way to feed babies, Dr. Paul Kigonya said there are contra-indications to breastfeeding like disease, which ought to be uncovered during antenatal.

Dr. Kigonya, a paediatrician at Anna Maria Children's Medical Centre in Seguku, said mothers suffering from herpes simplex type 1, human-T-lymphotrophic virus type 1 and 2 and multi-drug resistant T.B. to prevent transmission to the baby.

"Mothers who have active herpetic breast lesions should refrain from breastfeeding and those with herpes elsewhere, should wash their hands properly and cover lesions to avoid cross transmission," he explained.

In the case of multi-drug resistant T.B., Dr. Kigonya said babies should be separated from the mothers, even if they [the babies] are on prophylactic isoniazid, A T.B. preventive drug.

Mothers taking cancer drugs, lithium and ergot alkaloid shouldn't breastfeed because the toxic drugs can be transferred to the babies through breast milk.

Dr. Kigonya also explained that sometimes babies don't breastfeed if they have galactosemia, which is a liver disease.

"Here, a baby can't digest or metabolise lactose or galactose and subsequently leads to liver failure and mental retardation because of the absence of the liver enzyme called galactose-1 phosphate uridyl transferase," he said.