ILOILO – Promoting breastfeeding-supportive workplaces, the provincial government, through the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO), is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week and the 2023 National Breastfeeding Awareness Month.
With the World Breastfeeding Week 2023 theme, “Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a Difference for Working Parents,” and the call to action, “Let’s make breastfeeding and work, work!” the celebration kicked off on Monday, Aug. 7.
Concurrently, the IPHO headed by Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon and Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. also launched the National Breastfeeding Awareness Month campaign with the theme “Isulong ang Ligtas at Malusog na Pagpasuso Para sa Manggagawang Pilipina.”
Provincial Health Officer I Dr. Wendel T. Marcelo said the celebrations’ highlight was the pledge of commitment for a mother-baby friendly provincial capitol spearheaded by Defensor, Provincial Administrator Raul Banias, and different heads of offices and capitol employees.
After the launch, the Breastfeeding Month Interactive Exhibit was opened at the capitol lobby.
The Wall of Breastfeeding Memories encouraged breastfeeding mothers to share their breastfeeding experiences and journeys.
The Wall of Breastfeeding Moms of Iloilo provincial capitol invited employees to hang photos of their breastfeeding moments. Employees who share their breastfeeding photos will have a chance to receive a breastfeeding kit.
The provincial government will also actively join the Breastfeeding Month activities of local government units (LGUs) such as the Breastmilk Letting Activities on Aug. 10 and Aug. 25 in Santa Barbara and Miag-ao, respectively.
Breastfeeding mothers are invited to join the return of face-to-face of Hakab Na Iloilo 2023, part of The Global Latch On campaign, on Aug. 19, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the SM City Iloilo Event Center.
On Aug. 31, there will be a culminating activity and Unang Yakap symposium for pregnant and breastfeeding capitol employees.
“We endeavor to make the Iloilo provincial capitol a mother-baby-friendly workplace; we are enjoining everyone to make breastfeeding and work, work in the capitol and everyone’s workplace,” said Marcelo.
He added that breastfeeding is the first food system babies encounter. And breastfeeding is not just about delivering nutrition; it also sets the stage for our future health and development.
Marcelo also said that breastfeeding is the ultimate child survival and development intervention from the earliest moments of the child’s life. Babies who are not breastfed are 14 times more likely to die before they reach their first birthday than exclusively breastfed babies.
But breastfeeding mothers still face barriers and lack the support needed to achieve the recommended early, exclusive and continued breastfeeding practices.
“Women should not have to choose between breastfeeding their children and their work; supportive workplaces are the key. And evidence shows that while breastfeeding rates drop significantly for women when they return to work, that negative impact can be reversed when workplaces facilitate mothers to continue to breastfeed their babies,” Marcelo added./PN
