A Paediatrician of the Princess Marie Louis Hospital in Accra has called on companies to set aside rooms within their organisations for mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months of their lives.
Dr Maame Yaa Nyarko said the three months maternity leave given to mothers was not enough to allow mothers give the best of care to their children and to also concentrate fully during work hours.
�Sometimes parents, especially mothers, come to work tired and also do not fully concentrate on their work because they are worried about their babies back home,� she said.
She said the establishment of the breastfeeding rooms in companies as well as public places such as the malls, markets and churches, would provide comfort to mothers and also benefit the babies as they would get their daily nutrition on time.
Dr Nyarko was speaking at the launch of the 30th anniversary celebrations of Philips AVENT, manufactures of baby bottles, breast pumps and other baby feeding and health accessories in Accra.
The event was also used to unveil the Philips AVENT Baby of the Year Competition which seeks to reward babies between the ages of zero and 18 months for using Philips AVENT products.
Dr Nyarko said some of the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding included reduced incidence of hospital admissions of children, protective immunity against some viral and bacterial infections as well as non-communicable diseases such as diabetes.
�It also promotes mother-infant bonding and the development of the psycho-social abilities of the children,� she added.
She, therefore, urged the media to constantly highlight the benefits and effects of breastfeeding as well as advocate an increase in maternity leave for mothers.
Launching the competition, the Chief Executive Officer of Philips West Africa, Mr Khamis Abdullah, said the organisation, established in 1984 with the introduction of the first anti-colic feeding bottle, had set the standard for feeding bottles worldwide.
He said the organisation was always available to offer expert advice for mothers and their babies on its range of breast care and baby products designed to help mothers through their breastfeeding journey.
For her part, the Ambassador for Phillips AVENT anniversary, Mrs Kokui Selormey, said she was happy to be associated with AVENT products as they had helped in the breastfeeding of her children.
<<Print>>