UNICEF Deputy Rep Urges Mothers To Breastfeed Their Babies

Feb. 24,2010
UNICEF Deputy Rep Urges Mothers To Breastfeed Their Babies
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Deputy Representative
Collin Davies during his visit here has urged mothers to breastfeed their babies.
Speaking in a press conference at Kinamot Restaurant in brgy. Abgao before the teachers, Dept. of Education officials, some capitol employees and the media, he stressed that “the reason why your baby is here is because of you” and that “giving your baby what is best for him/her is your obligation as a parent”.
Davies said that based on scientific studies breastfeeding is the only way to provide babies with the necessary nutrients that they need without shifting to formulated milk products available in drugstores and groceries.
In answer to a query he explained that gaining status symbol in society’s higher echelon should not be made as an excuse not to breastfeed their babies.
He disclosed regular breastfeeding to the family’s children is a natural method in birth control application
without resorting to the use of condom, which UNICEF tends to discourage.
The UNICEF Deputy Rep also informed that mothers who regularly breastfeed their babies can adaptably tolerate to a “one child for every five years” gap family planning that would benefit both the children and their parents.
The UNICEF official also pointed out the imperative importance of implementing the Milk Code program in the global scale as the significant outcome in winning the 19-year-old battle against producers of formulated milk products.
He exhorted concerned individuals to tell the first 10 people he/she would meet everyday to encourage their respective families to breastfeed their babies.
Davies further informed that thru the Milk Code guidelines, manufacturers of formulated milk are allowed to
produce but are prohibited to promote their products.
Moreover, he admonished Governor Damian Mercado to always start and end his speeches in all occasions the importance for mothers to breastfeed their babies.
He also implied the persuasive promotion and favorable endorsement to breastfeed babies is anchored on scientific studies that bottlefed-babies have a higher mortality rate compared to those breastfeed babies. The obvious simple information is that mother’s milk has all the necessary nutrients needed to provide them with strong resistance against childhood diseases.
Additionally, health practitioners have advised mothers to breastfeed their babies for a period of at least two years. Limiting to six months or one-year breastfeeding is inefficient and inadequate as long as nutritional necessities for the growing babies are concern. Besides, breastfeed babies are brighter than bottle-feed babies.
Revealing that globally UNICEF has a half a billion dollar trust fund, he emphasized his office can provide financial assistance for a school building construction only during a tragedy when many children are also affected, in answer to a query from a government media.
He also clarified that UNICEF do not give dole out but always work on projects in partnership with the government,LGUs,NGOs and other community leaders worldwide.
The Englishman official who was accompanied by Filipino UNICEF officers like Willy Claudio, Winston Henomino, Baby Estilles and Dennis Salvacion visited Southern Leyte province last October 2008 to attend the blessing and turnover ceremony of the newly-finished Pamigsian Elementary School building in Bontoc which was a UNICEF-assisted project.(Note: This news story is posted here because of its perpetual relevance. The urgings and the findings are biologically beneficial to both the babies and the mothers who must practice breastfeeding as the indispensable and inevitable biological process that must be carried out for a minimum of at least two years duration. In fact my younger sister has breastfed her youngest son for three straight years.Wow! Here mothers can see the great difference between canned milk-feed and breastfeed babies. Canned milk can serve as good additional support if a mother has insufficient biological milk, but not as a substitute.Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)