Breastmilk is the best food for babies in all situations, with or without COVID-19 pandemic. It is the complete food for infants in their first 6 months of life, essential for their growth and development. It contains antibodies that supports the baby’s immune system to fight infection and diseases. Needless to say, no milk can beat breastmilk.

In Malabon City, the promotion of breastfeeding, monitoring of compliance to Milk Code, and regular breastmilk-letting activities have always been part of the city’s Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Program.  However, the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to do these IYCF activities on a business-as-usual mode. This prompted the Malabon City Nutrition Office and City Nutrition Committee to think of ways to sustain the implementation of IYCF activities despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City Nutrition Committee (CNC) chaired by Mayor Antolin A. Oreta III, with City Nutrition Action Officer Chef Melissa Sison-Oreta, nutrition secretariat, and members, established a partnership with the city’s Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) for the Got Milk to Share Project.  The city-wide project, supported by 21 SK Chairpersons, aims to intensify the breastmilk collection drive in the city.

The screening of the donor-mothers and breastmilk collection in every barangay are regularly done by the Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) and health center personnel. The CNC’s official Facebook page and messenger were used in promoting the breastmilk donation drive. Through this project, 100 pouch-full or more of human milk are collected every week.

The donated breastmilk is delivered to the City Nutrition Office every Wednesday and Friday which are then pasteurized and stored at the city’s Human Milk Bank located in Ospital ng Malabon. Pasteurized breastmilk is given to infants who cannot be breastfed due to various reasons. Breastfeeding mothers infected with COVID-19 who are severely ill and could not breastfeed are among those given priority in accessing pasteurized breastmilk free of charge from the Human Milk Bank.

To sustain the project and maintain a good supply of pasteurized breastmilk in the Human Milk Bank, the CNC will lobby for a city ordinance to institutionalize the project. The SK chairpersons from the 21 barangays of the city together with the BNSs and health center personnel plan to set every Wednesday as Breastmilk Donation Day of the city.   (FDC/DKFV/NPC MEVF/NNC-NCR)

*Article contributed by CNPC Fidel dela Cruz of Malabon City