(Nutrition Officer I Angelique Jean Maggay, Cagayan de Oro City) -- 22 August 2022, In celebration of the August 2022 National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, the City Breastfeeding/Infant and Young Child Feeding & EO 51 Task Force in partnership with the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) Human Milk Bank and Lactating Unit spearheaded the first milk letting activity during the 2nd Hakab sa Oro at Limketkai Mall, Cagayan de Oro City last 12 August 2022.
A total of 6,375ml volumes of breast milk were collected from forty-two (42) lactating mothers who generously shared their liquid gold and were given food packs (5kg of rice) in return.
The accumulated breastmilk will be given to the infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of JR Borja General Hospital and Northern Mindanao Medical Center. The collected breastmilk will undergo pasteurization or heating process to kill any harmful bacteria or viruses that may be present in the breastmilk.
NMMC Human Milk Bank and Lactation Unit staff and task force members manned the milk letting activity. Nurse I Ana Leah Lou L. Cuadra and Nurse I Czarina Mei N. Quinto of NMMC were in-charge in the assessment area. Also, PSSgt Llena Sol Josefa Jovita and PCpl Quincy Faith Navaja of Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) along with other female police officers assisted in milk letting activity. Such assistance given was taking care of the infants of the breastfeeding mothers who have donated their breast milk. Also, city nutrition staff and Barangay Nutrition Scholars aid in assisting mothers having difficulty in expressing their breastmilk.
This year's milk letting activity hopes to contribute to the success of National Nutrition Council’s advocacy on “Nutrisyong sapat, para sa lahat” in the First 1000 days of life, specifically among infants 0-6 months old who need to be exclusively breastfed.
Furthermore, the city’s milk letting activity will never be a success without the continued support of the task force members and various stakeholders.
Together we can promote, protect and support breastfeeding, and step-up in normalizing breastfeeding in public places.
