“Meron ka bang tanong tungkol sa pagpapasuso o pagpapakain sa sanggol na anim (6) na buwan pataas? Kailangan mo ba ng kausap tungkol dito, Momshies?” Worry no more because the NCR Breastfeeding Friends (BFFs) are here to help you.
The City/District Nutrition Program Coordinators (C/DNPC) of Metro Manila Association with the assistance of the National Nutrition Council – NCR (NNC-NCR) put up an online counseling for mothers/caregivers who are having problems related to infant and young child feeding (IYCF).
IYCF is a set of well-known and common recommendations for proper feeding of newborn and children under two years old. The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend: (1) early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth; (2) exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life; and (3) introduction of nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months together with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.
In response to queries on breastfeeding received through social media, various online posts of mothers asking/requesting formula milk, and calls for milk donation, the NNC-NCR mobilized the local government units in Metro Manila to conduct IYCF counseling online since face-to-face counseling is difficult during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). To contain the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19, the entire Luzon area was declared under ECQ, requiring people to stay at home and practice social distancing.
The C/DNPC of Metro Manila Association, through its President Ms. Joann Espiritu, volunteered to make the online IYCF counseling a project of their own. NNC-NCR assisted the Association in putting up a mechanism or referral system where mothers needing IYCF counseling are provided help by the members of the Association via SMS, call, viber, etc. Thus, giving birth to the NCR BFFs’ Online IYCF Counseling. The project was launched on April 8, 2020.
The NCR BFFs or Breastfeeding Friends are composed of members of the Association who are licensed Nutritionist-Dietitians trained on IYCF. The BFFs or online IYCF counselors provide free counseling to mothers to help them in their breastfeeding concerns as well as on complementary feeding practices for children 6 months and above.
Mothers who have queries/concerns are encouraged to drop a private message in the National Nutrition Council – NCR Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/nnc.ncr) and give the following details: complete name, age, contact details, area of residence, whether pregnant or breastfeeding, and their problem/concern.
Upon receipt of inquiry, NNC-NCR will communicate it to the NCR BFFs group chat. The IYCF counselor of the LGU where the mother resides usually volunteers to counsel the mother. Details of the inquiry and contact information will be sent through private message to the volunteer counselor and they will be advised to contact the mother/caregiver via SMS, call or viber.
Queries received from mothers, counseling provided and even referral to other services are documented and monitored by NNC-NCR through a google sheet tracker. As of April 19, a total of eight (8) lactating mothers were counseled on various breastfeeding queries such as having no milk, nipple hurting during breastfeeding, and breastmilk not enough, among others.
The Association and NNC-NCR are hopeful that through this project, mothers will be encouraged to breastfeed their babies and give appropriate complementary foods while continuing breastfeeding. Let us protect, promote and support breastfeeding and proper complementary feeding especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Kaya ano pang inaantay mo momshie, tara, kwentuhan tayo! PM is the key!
(TAR/NPC MEVF/NNC-NCR)
Reference:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infant-and-young-child-feeding
