Mother's Day gifts for expectant and lactating mothers
Expectant and lactating mothers in the South Rift will benefit from a free medical screening, counselling and training on how to take care of their babies.
The one-week pre and post-natal training is sponsored by Bidco Africa Limited and Tenwek Hospital.
The free screening and wellness support at the hospital's Mother and Child Health unit, is being done in recognition of Mother’s Day which will be marked on Sunday across the world.
In an exercise that kicked off on Friday, the mothers will also get hand sanitisers and soap to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Expectant mothers and children under the age of 18 are prohibited by the World Health Organization from getting the Covid-19 vaccines.
Tenwek Hospital Chief Executive Officer Shem Tangus, said the initiative is aimed at celebrating mothers and giving health and mental wellness support as part of the hospital’s mission to offer affordable healthcare for all.
“We want to continue helping our mothers who come to Tenwek Hospital for treatment,” said Mr Tangus.
He added: “As a society, there is a need to appreciate our mothers, shower them with love and support them.”
Nutrition specialists will also train the mothers on the kind of food they should eat and feed their children on during the various stages of their development to ensure they are healthy.
Issues relating to breastfeeding, mental health and child safety issues will also be addressed during the week-long training.
“The mothers are being trained on the basic exercise they should be doing in the various stages of pregnancies and after giving birth to ensure they are healthy at all times,” said Mr Tangus.
Mr John Lawrence, the head of communications at Bidco Africa Limited said there is a need to support mothers in taking care of themselves and their children for a healthy society.
“Since life begins at conception, it is important to ensure that mothers are armed with proper information on nutrition and hygiene issues so as to protect them from avoidable diseases,” said Mr Lawrence.
He said the mothers required support during pregnancy and after birth.
Ms Judy Miriti, Bidco’s head of Home and Personal care section said that expectant mothers contract some diseases due to lack of information.
“The partnership between Bidco and Tenwek Hospital is aimed at creating awareness on hygiene for mothers and children so as to protect them from contracting coronavirus and other diseases,” said Ms Miriti.
She said mothers go through so a lot in the course of their pregnancies and after giving birth, yet many people do not realise they need psychosocial support to overcome the challenges they encounter daily.
“Each and every one of us was born and taken care of by a mother, thus the need to ensure that they get the necessary support and training on how to protect themselves and their children from contracting Covid-19,” said Ms Miriti.
The hospital, which is owned by the Africa Gospel Church, is sponsored by a number of religious based donors in the United States of America.
