NaNa official on breastfeeding

Thursday, April 16, 2009
A senior official of the National Nutrition Agency (NaNa), has said that breast milk contained all the necessary nutrients a baby needs for growth during the first six months.

Bakary Jallow, a senior program official at NaNa made this remark yesterday in an exclusive interview with the Daily Observer at their office situated at Bakau. He said breast milk contained anti-infection quantities that protect the child from getting infections. Jallow said no cost is attached to breastfeeding as all one needs to do is to make sure that the mother is well fed.

When asked whether the heatwave prevailing in Africa can allow a child to stay 6 months without drinking, the NaNa official said that within the 6-month period the mother’s milk has enough water to meet the needs of the baby. And, he added,  the good thing about breast milk is that it is always in the correct temperature unlike the infant formula which, if not properly handled, can cause infections to the baby.

According to Bakary Jallow, NaNa is advocating for institutions to create a nursing room for their working mothers to allow them closer to their babies so that they can feed them anytime. He then indicated that some institutions can reduce working hours for nursing mothers. He said mothers can also put their breast milk in a container. He concluded by saying that milk from mothers can stay for about 6 hours and remains still good for consumption.
Author: by Modou Kanteh & Yunus Saliu