World Breastfeeding Week: Mothers at Chuka market praise crèche
Ms Emma John a caretaker at a creche at Chuka open-air market plays with children on August 2, 2021. The facility offers lactating mothers doing business in the town a safe and friendly place to breastfeed their babies.
What you need to know:
- Lactating business mothers in Chuka town continue to enjoy the convenience of breastfeeding their babies at a crèche at Chuka open-air market.
- The crèche has provided a friendly breastfeeding environment where the mothers can also monitor the babies’ safety and comfort.
As we mark the 2021 World Breastfeeding Week, lactating business mothers in Chuka town continue to enjoy the convenience of breastfeeding their babies at a crèche at Chuka open-air market.
Breastfeeding business women in the town handover their babies to caregivers at the facility every morning and proceed to their work places, then regularly come back to breastfeed them.
The crèche has provided a friendly breastfeeding environment where the mothers can also monitor the babies’ safety and comfort.
Caroline Muthoni, a small-scale cereals trader told nation.africa on Monday that before construction of the crèche, most women had to stay at home after giving birth, while others had to frequently rush to the house to breastfeed their babies.
Ms Muthoni said others and especially the shy young mothers could breastfeed their babies inside the toilet for fear of exposing their breasts to customers and passers-by.
“With the crèche, we are now able to exclusively breastfeed our babies for six months as recommended by the Ministry of Health,” said Ms Muthoni.
Lucy Makena, another beneficiary who sells clothes in the town, said apart from providing a friendly environment for feeding their children, they are also not exposed to the risk of contracting Covid-19.
Never settled
The mother of four said she used to take her children to a private day-care or employ a babysitter before the crèche was constructed and was never settled at work fearing for their safety.
“I am now settled at work because, from my shop, I am also able to hear my baby crying at the crèche,” said Ms Makena.
Early Children Development Education (ECDE) caregivers Emma John and Betty Makena told nation.africa that apart from taking care of the children, they also sensitise mothers on the benefits of exclusively breastfeeding their babies for six months and the importance of immunisations.
Ms Makena said the mothers had noted that unlike before when they stayed with their children at their open workplaces, they nowadays rarely fall sick because the crèche is warm, clean not exposed to dust.
Last week, Governor Muthomi Njuki announced plans to construct more crèches in the other main markets in the county.
He also appealed to government and private institutions to consider constructing such facilities for lactating mothers.
Breastfeeding-friendly environments
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, under the theme Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility is a time to revisit the commitments made at the start of this year by prioritising breastfeeding-friendly environments for mothers and babies.
Denis Mbae, Tharaka Nithi County Nutrition Coordinator, said breastfeeding within the first hour of birth followed by exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond, offer a strong line of defence against child malnutrition.
He said breastfeeding also acts as babies’ first vaccine, protecting them against many common childhood illnesses.
“Mothers with Covid-19 disease should continue breastfeeding their babies because the virus cannot be transmitted through breast milk,” said Mr Mbae.
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