(Misamis Occidental PNAO Marichu G. Tijing/Ms. Glady Adlaon) — The Provincial Nutrition Action Office through the Provincial Government of Misamis Occidental is in pursuit to actively functionalize the implementation of both nutrition-specific and sensitive programs province-wide, thus alignment of the nutrition laws and policies.
Breastfeeding Support Groups were created through the Executive Order No. 19, s2020 signed by Governor Philip T. Tan last 10 February 2020 entitled: “An order creating the breastfeeding support for the province of Misamis Occidental enacted to All Municipal Mayors, Punong Barangays, Sangguniang Bayan, and Sangguniang Barangay and all concerned agencies”
DOH Administrative Order No. 2005-0014 issued in 2015 serves as a guide for health and nutrition workers and other concerned parties on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF). This includes appropriate feeding practices in exceptionally difficult circumstances and ensuring the protection, promotion and support of exclusive breastfeeding, and timely and adequate complementary feeding with continued breastfeeding.
To promote optimum well-being and prevent malnutrition, there is a need to strengthen the advocacy on appropriate infant and young child feeding practices, specifically on breastfeeding and complementary feeding.
Thus, the Breastfeeding Support Group/IYCF Counsellors— Breastfeeding Friends (BFF) was created in the province. These are groups of women, of any age, who come together to learn about and discuss issues on infant and young child nutrition (IYCN). These women also support each other as they care for children aged 0-5 years and provide the necessary counseling needed by the mothers. They are responsible for engaging group members in discussion about IYCF, and provide basic health education in an interactive and participatory manner. They offer advice and wisdom to new mothers and support each other with respect to breastfeeding.
Moreover, this initiative provides real benefits especially to expectant mothers because many new mothers have doubts regarding the initial challenge. That is why the BFFs are there to make the process as easy as possible. It is an enormous help to any mothers who doesn’t know how to breastfeed or is afraid of the odds. The ultimate goal of this initiative is for all the mothers to overcome their personal fears and misconception.
Creating this kind of group generally requires effort, time and money because you need to put a considerable amount of planning into the group and designating specific tasks to each member.
Furthermore, these groups grow through the members’ friends because they can bring friends and relatives who are seeking for advice. This group also provides support for women preparing for the challenges of motherhood and provides wonderful resources through talks, education and shared experience.
More so, the Breastfeeding Friends in the province of Misamis Occidental is successful for they are functioning well, especially in this time of pandemic for they are conducting house-to-house visitation and counselling in their respective areas.
