Allow nursing mothers to breastfeed at work - Dentist

Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 28 May ?99

A member of the National Council on Women and Development has expressed the need for the establishment of creches in all workplaces, especially where women are mostly employed.

This will enable nursing mothers who resume work before six months of delivery to breastfeed their babies at short intervals.

Dr Charllote Abaka, a dentist and former chairperson of the National Council on Women and Development (NCWD), made the call when Manhyia Polyclinic in Kumasi was designated as baby-friendly.

She said exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant's life has now been accepted world-wide as the best way to ensure the total well-being and healthy development of babies.

Dr Abaka said however, working mothers by the 12 weeks of maternity leave do not have ample time to breastfeed their babies optimally which, it is feared, does not help babies.

"It is, therefore, gratifying that the Ghana labour code is being re-written" she said, and expressed the hope that this would rectify certain anomalies in favour of the reproductive life of women.

She reminded women that breastfeeding is the only time during which the mother shows affection to the baby and this ensures a psychological bond between the woman and the child.

The Manhyia Polyclinic with a maternity wing organises Post- and ante-natal care for expectant and lactating mothers and records 25-30 births every month.

For the past five years, it has been successfully promoting exclusive breastfeeding for mothers through the establishment of support groups which comprise mothers who, through house-to-house visits, encourage women to breastfeed and solve all problems relating to breastfeeding.

Now that it has been declared baby friendly, it runs a breastfeeding counselling centre at its out-patient department.

It has, in addition, adopted a breastfeeding policy which includes educating mothers to breastfeed after half an hour of delivery, allowing mothers and babies to be together for 24 hours and showing mothers how to lactate and maintain breastfeeding.