Milk bank cuts expenses for Pumwani

Pumwani Hospital has cut expenses on formula milk for newborns since it opened the human milk bank.

According to Ms Kezia Naju, the hospital's nurse in charge of the human milk bank, Pumwani now buys formula for emergency purposes only.

"The hospital has reduced the cost of buying formula milk. Before the bank was initiated, Pumwani used to buy formula milk in cartons, but currently Pumwani buys formula milk for emergencies," said Ms Naju.

She was part of the stakeholders at the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) launch at Mbagathi County Hospital, Nairobi, on Tuesday.

The breastfeeding week is celebrated annually in the first week of August, but since Kenya will be holding elections that week, locally, the event is being held a month early.

The campaign, championed by 170 countries worldwide, aims to inform, anchor, engage and galvanise action on breastfeeding and related issues to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is a cornerstone of child survival, nutrition, and early childhood development and, therefore, critical to the realisation of most of the SDGs.

In the last decade, Kenya has improved policies, guidelines, and legislative frameworks that guarantee essential nutrition for every child in line with the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

According to Kenya Demographic Health surveys, this has contributed to a significant increase in the proportion of children who are exclusively breastfed in the first six months from 32 per cent in 2008 to 61 per cent in 2014.

Currently, Pumwani hospital collects five litres a day from inpatient donors -- mostly mothers who have babies in the newborn unit since babies who are ill are unable to breastfeed intensively.

"The HMB is able to sustain Pumwani, our freezers are full yet the project has not been rolled out to the community. We have even requested the facility to add more freezers because we have more mothers who are willing to donate milk," added Ms Naju.

Globally, only 41 per cent of all babies under six months are exclusively breastfed, while only 45 per cent continue breastfeeding up to 24 months.

A decline in continued breastfeeding is noted with an increase in age, with children up to one year old at 90 per cent, and 53 per cent at two years. Economic livelihoods and socio-cultural context contribute significantly to the variation of exclusive and continued breastfeeding rates.

Counseling, education, immediate support at delivery, and lactation management can increase exclusive breastfeeding by almost 50 per cent.

This year's theme highlights the links between breastfeeding and good nutrition, food security, and reducing inequalities.

Speaking at Mbagathi, Heath CAS Mercy Mwangangi mentioned that this year's celebration also focuses on ‘The Warm Chain’ campaign.

The warm chain puts mother and baby at the centre and strives to link different actors by coordinating efforts at all levels to provide a continuum of care during the first 1,000 days in a child’s life.

Dr Mwangangi further noted that all relevant stakeholders would be mobilised to provide and sustain breastfeeding-friendly environments in the interest of families, even as the Covid-19 battle continues.

"Together, we can protect the warm chain of support for breastfeeding," she said.