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- Category: Region 2
Milk expression is the process where a mother manually squeezes her milk out of the breast and store it to feed her baby later. Expressing breastmilk is needed when the baby is premature and has a low birth weight thus, he/she has difficulty in suckling and cannot properly breastfeed. Feeding them with expressed milk will help them to still get all nutrients they need even if they are not directly latching to their mother’s breast. Also, expressing milk may help the mother to prevent leak when she is not with her baby or when she goes to work. It may also help them to have a continuous production of milk especially when she cannot breastfeed her baby frequently.
Mothers may express milk through an electric/manual breast pump or by hand. During the process of expression, it is important for the mother to stimulate the her oxytocin reflex to have an easier breastmilk expression since her reflex might not work the same compared to when the baby is directly suckling the mother’s breast. Also, she must feel relaxed and free of stress to increase the amount of milk and effectively express her breast. The support of the family members by giving her back rub or massage is important during the procedure.
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- Category: Region 2
Cup feeding is an alternative method by using a small and wide-mouthed cup to feed a baby who cannot latch directly to breast and needs to be provided with breast milk. Infants that are premature, weak, or sick and cannot directly latch to take all the milk from the breast, need to be cup-fed to continuously receive their nutrient needs from breast milk for their growth and development without being directly attached to the mother’s breast. This method can also be helpful when breastfeeding is not yet well established and when the mother is unable to feed her baby due to breast problems such as soreness of nipples. By using this method, the father and other members of the family will also have a chance to help feed the baby especially when the mother is not around.
World Health Organization recommends and encourages the use of cup feeding as a better method than using bottle and teats in feeding the infants. Artificial teat, like feeding bottles, may cause “nipple confusion” that may jeopardize the baby’s breastfeeding practice. This method prevents “nipple confusion” since it maintains the infant’s latch-on and usual breastfeeding practice.
There are many advantages in cup feeding that would benefit and protect the health of the baby. Cup feeding will lower the chances of bacterial contamination since it is less likely to be carried around for a long period of time. Also, compared to other feeding equipment such as bottles, cups are easier to clean and dry. This feeding method is also associated with lower risk of diarrhea, ear infection and tooth decay in babies. It prevents misalignment of the teeth and abnormal development of the jaws of the infant that usually observed to babies who are introduced to artificial teats. Most importantly, it does not disrupt with the baby’s suckling at the breast and enables him to control his intake thus over-feeding may be prevented.
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- Category: Region 2
During this pandemic, it is good to note that fisherfolk especially those living near the rivers and seas still have the opportunity to go fishing for them to provide meals for their families.
But with Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources' (BFAR) 'aquaponics' recently launched here, city dwellers need not to go to the nearest river or sea to fish if they can actually build their own aquaponics system.
Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics that grows fish and plants together in one integrated system. This technology aimed at empowering communities to take control of their food security and give access to clean and healthy food while augmenting their income by converting a small space in their house into an agri-aqua-farm.
The technology can be valuable for everyone for it can be feasible whether you are in the city or in the province as long as resources are available.
Constructing aquaponics systems within their houses is an innovative ways of production in the urban areas where the use of cost-efficient urban aquaculture technology on solar-powered aquaponics system is introduced, BFAR Region 2 Dir. Milagros Morales said.
Specifically designed by technical experts of BFAR Central Office and downloaded to the regional offices, aqua technicians here made some modifications that fits to the actual weather condition of the region. While the required height of the tank for the fish from one meter to 1.5, it was modified into two meters depth to allow a cooler water temperature considering region 2’s hot climate during summer season.
BFAR has ready models to fit one’s need be it for large-scale, small scale or backyard aquaponics but for sure, under proper management and technical –know-how of the system, it will ensure that fish and vegetable supply is readily available.
To fully showcase the project, the four cities in the region namely Santiago, Cauayan, Ilagan and Tuguegarao will soon have their own aquaponics model as BFAR has submitted the proposal to the central office subject to the approval of the Department of Budget and Management.
Morales said this is also seen to address hunger and food scarcity after the World Food Programme forecast that hunger and poverty will prevail by the end of 2020 due to pandemic brought by COVID-19.
With one having an aquaphonics system, it enhances the status of food security and simultaneously improves the quality of food that one's family eat because one is assured that the food is safe because they grow them themselves.
“We are ready to provide technical assistance as we have experts to assist interested adopteors,” Morales added.
For the part of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Hydroponics technology has now been promoted and introduced all over the country as part of the Plant, Plant, Plant program. (MDCT/GVB/PIA 2-Cagayan)
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- Category: Region 2
Corona Virus Disease of 2019 or also known as the COVID-19 Pandemic changed a lot of things and perspective of our normal lives as it devastated many countries all over the world. To prevent the spread of the virus, the way we normally live our lives prior to the COVID-19 pandemic has to change from the way we shop, the way we dine and eat, the way we do our daily routines, and definitely, the way we socialize. These changes are usually coined as the #NewNormal. It is basically how we are going to live our lives post-pandemic.
Since #NewNormal brought up a lot of changes, delivery of health and nutrition services were also affected. On 18 March 2020, National Nutrition Council release MELLPI Advisory No. 1, s. 2020 suspending all monitoring and evaluation activities amid COVID-19 including MELLPI Pro, Operation Timbang Plus, and monitoring of Local Nutrition Early Warning System areas, until further notice. All activities requiring mass gatherings and long travels were also prohibited by National Interagency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases. These events brought about the shift of all activities to digital platforms. All meetings are being conducted virtually, even monitoring activities and information dissemination. NNC also released National Nutrition Cluster Advisories No. 1 and 2, s. 2020 to ensure that nutrition is being prioritized by LGUs amid COVID-19 Pandemic.
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- Category: Region 2
The Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022 stresses the convergence of nutrition-specific programs, nutrition-sensitive programs and enabling programs. These nutrition-supportive programs call for efficiency and effectiveness to ensure positive nutrition-outcomes at the end of 2022. In 2018, the National Nutrition Council published a Compendium of Actions in Nutrition (CAN) which features success stories of eleven (11) local government units (LGUs) championing in nutrition. Among the key lessons common in these LGUs are their strong enabling mechanisms established in their respective LGUs. Enabling programs should mobilize LGUs for nutrition outcomes, create an environment for food and nutrition policies, and strengthen management support for PPAN 2017-2022. Here are the activities identified in PPAN 2017-2022 under enabling programs:
LGU Mobilization:
- Mobilization of Local Government Units for Delivery of Nutritional Outcomes through the NNC Sub-Regional Network
- Enabling Policy and Legal Framework for LGU Mobilization
- Development of Continuing Opportunities for LGU Excellence in Nutrition Programming
- Mobilization of Rural Improvement Clubs and other community-based organizations for nutrition action
Read more: Setting Directions Through PPAN 2017-2022 Enabling Programs
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- Category: Region 2
National Nutrition Cluster released Advisory No. 1, s. 2020 – “Nutrition Cluster Guidelines on LGU Nutrition Initiatives Relative to COVID-19” and Advisory No. 2, s. 2020 – “Nutrition Cluster Recommendations on Healthful and NutritiousFamily Food Packs and Sustainable Food Sources” to ensure that nutrition is still being prioritize amidst COVID-19 pandemic.
In the region, nutrition stakeholders including the local government units (LGUs), regional line agencies, and even individuals contributed to this endeavor through their creative and localized projects and activities. LGUs played an important role in prioritizing nutrition during this crisis since they were tasked to directly provide all necessary services to their constituents. Many LGUs all over the region immediately realized that people are in their homes and can cook nutritious food, hence, they included fresh farm and backyard produce such as fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and poultry in the relief packs. Lal-lo, Cagayan also provided “nutribaskets” that includes fresh fruits, vegetables, and seeds and seedlings to their constituents. Supplementary feeding programs for undernourished preschool children were also prioritized by many LGUs including Dupax del Sur and Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, Saguday, Quirino, Cauayan City and Jones, Isabela. Luna, Isabela also launched their “adopt a malnourished project”. Some households in Batanes Province also provided free fresh vegetables for their neighbors, showing their kind and pure hearts. Provincial Government of Cagayan also recognized the importance of food security, hence, it distributed seeds and seedlings, native chickens and a food processing plant will be established in the province.
Read more: Nutrition Stakeholders: Ensuring Nutrition During the COVID-19 Pandemic
