The Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC) hosted a public forum yesterday held at the Empire Hotel & Country Club, officially titled, “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding”; in-line with this year’s World Breastfeeding Week theme annually celebrated around the world on the first week of August.
World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is a global campaign coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) that aims to inform, anchor, engage and galvanize action on breastfeeding and related issues. The #WBW2019 theme is ‘Empower parents, enable breastfeeding.’ #WBW2019 advocates for (a) parental social protection policies and legislation, (b) parent-friendly workplaces in both formal and informal sectors, and (c) parent-friendly values and gender-equitable social norms.
The emphasis on breastfeeding was one of the fundamental topics carried out by Dr. Siti Khadijah Ismail, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist of JPMC at the public forum. With all natural vitamins and minerals, breast milk should be the main source of food for infants. To assist the parents to comprehend better in a more in-depth detailed manner, the means on breastfeeding were also among one of the discussions at the public forum.
Dr. Siti Khadijah has stated, “A child development relies heavily on the daily intake that allows a stronger immune system and healthier growth and such intake comes from the mother’s milk. Breast milk contains microbiomes and milk fat globulin membrane (MFGM) that help infants to fight off viruses and bacteria, lowering the infant’s risk of having allergies and infections and of course, imposing a positive impact on the infant’s cognitive health.” Breastfeeding also allows the mother to have a more delightful bonding experience with their new born.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended practicing breastfeeding for at least 6 months; however, it can still be extended for up to 2 years.
The forum was then followed by a group discussion amongst new parents who have shared their experiences of breastfeeding their newborn, challenges encountered and how they’ve overcome or still experiencing. The sharing session hopes to have prompted new parents to gain a prolific insight and lessen the dramatic impact as they embark on this journey.
Tokenof appreciation were awarded to parents who have voluntarily partake in the forum and 20 lucky winners walked away with lucky draw prizes worth over BND3,000.00.
With infant massage demonstration being the last activity of the public forum, JPMC’s International Association of Infant Massage UK (IAIM) certified nurses guided the participants’ ways to alternative treatment that uses massage therapy for babies. Each massage may stimulate circulatory and digestive systems, hormonal and immune systems, coordination and balance, learning and concentration, muscular development and growth and mind and body awareness.
The public forum ‘Empower Parents Enable Breastfeeding” was kindly supported by Medicorp Sdn Bhd.
The Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinic is open from Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm and every Saturday from 8am to 12noon. The services offered in the Obstetrics division includes Antenatal Screening Tests Including: First and Second Trimester Screening, Antenatal Classes, Infant Massage Classes, Family Planning Clinic and Post Natal Services; The Services offered in the Gynaecology division included General Gynaecology Check-ups, Trans Abdominal & Trans Vaginal Ultrasound as well as Major & Minor Surgeries including Laparoscopy Surgery and Hysteroscopy Abdominal & Vaginal Pelvic Floor Repair.
For further information or to set an appointment, please call +673 261 1433 ext. 3000 or email directly to [email protected].
