Lucena City - Around 100 pregnant women, 36 lactating mothers and 56 Barangay Nutrition Scholars actively participated in the Media Service Caravan: Breastfeeding Month Celebration held in this city, sponsored by the National Nutrition Council - CALABARZON, Communicators’ Network for Nutrition in Region IV-A (CNN-4A), SM Cares, and Lucena City Nutrition Committee last August 29 at the event Center of SM City Lucena.
The said event was supervised by Ms. Carina Z. Santiago, RNPC, Ms. Lourdes B. Bulante, NO III, and Ms. Hannah Christina P. Clemente, NO I of NNC-CALABARZON while the CNN-4A Nutrition was represented by Ms. Janet Buelo, CNN-4A President, together with the Public Information Officers of different cities and municipalities in CALABARZON, including Batangas City, Cabuyao City, Dasmarinas City, Lucena City, Quezon Province, Laguna Province, Rizal Province, Sta. Rosa, San Pablo, DZJV, Ronda Balita, Radyo Kaisahan Arya & Radyo ng Bayan-Lucena.
Tackled in the event includes the importance of ten (10) Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos (NGF), emphasizing the importance of eating fruits and vegetables to get good nutrition, good diet and understand the importance of breast feeding. According to Dra. Maria Teresa Corpuz, an Obstetrician and Gynecologist, newborns should get the colostrum - the initial surge of milk from a mother.
She said colostrum is considered as the first vaccination to be received by the baby. Colostrum is the first liquid secreted from the breast after a baby is born. It has large amount of essential nutrients highly beneficial for a newborn. In addition, colostrum is high in carbohydrates and protein but low in fat and will help the baby dispense his or her first stool which is important to prevent jaundice.
The antibodies contained in colostrum serve as vaccines, allowing the mother to pass on immunity to her baby from various bacteria that could otherwise harm him or her. There is a higher concentration of these antibodies in colostrum compared with mature breast milk, which helps protect the baby from dangerous bacteria and viruses. This year’s theme for the breast feeding campaign is “Gawing Tsek ang Breast Feeding: Tama Sapat at Eksklusibo.”
Participants in this event also received free medical and dental check up from the doctors and nurses from the City Health Office & Quezon Medical Association, while pregnant women were given free vaccination of tetanus toxoid.
After the fruitful discussions, the information officers distributed simple tokens to the participants who answered correctly the simple questions based on the topics that were discussed. Ms. Santiago in her message said that she is very grateful for the full support of the Local Government Unit of Lucena and Quezon Province to make this event possible and successful. She expended her gratitude to City Mayor Roderick A. Alcala, to the City Health Officer, Dra. Caridad Diamante, City Nutritionist Azenith Ramos and Atty. Sunshine Abcede of the City Council of Lucena. (Ves McGowan, PIO, Lucena City)
