World Breastfeeding Day: Managing Breastfeeding as Working Mothers

In a society that is challenging to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months because most nursing mothers return to work after three months of childbirth, the J &A Oben Foundation thought it necessary to sensitize pregnant women on how to manage breastfeeding while working. This took place on August 1st, 2023, at the premises of the Presbyterian Health Complex (PHC) during an outreach by the Wellness Center of the J&A Oben Foundation to mark this year’s World Breastfeeding Week.

Encouraging the women, Mrs. Arrey Crista said that it is very possible to breastfeed exclusively, even as a working mother. “You can begin breast milk extraction and storage 1 to 2 weeks before you return to work so that the baby can have enough to consume when you are not around”, Mrs. Arrey said. “All you need to do is store the milk in recommended cups with covers or storage bags and preserve it in the refrigerator,” she said. She added that breast milk can be preserved at room temperature for 7 hours, in the refrigerator for 7 days, and for up to 7 months in the freezer. However, she admonished the women to always smell and taste the breast milk before feeding a baby. 



Speaking on how to prepare the milk, Miss Suzzy Kang, Assistant Dietitian at the J&A Oben Foundation, advised that for babies who prefer warm milk, the milk bottle should be placed in hot water until the milk is no longer cold. “Do not warm milk with direct heat from the fire or microwave,” she said. “To avoid contamination, children should be fed with spoons rather than drinking from bottles directly, so as to avoid bacteria building up around the cover area”, Miss Suzzy added. Make sure your breast milk extractors, storage bottles, and feeding cups and spoons are properly washed and heated in a boiler for disinfection,” she said.

Miss Abeng Cathy, Assistant Dietitian of the Wellness Center of the J&A Oben Foundation, sensitized mothers on the best complementary foods to give children after the recommended 6-month breastfeeding period. She also presented the different daily meal plans and food quantities to be given to children based on their ages.

The outreach was also used to sensitize pregnant women on the types of foods to eat during pregnancy and breastfeeding for their general wellness. The pregnant women were also given factsheets on the importance of breastfeeding.

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every August 1–7. It started in 1992. This year’s edition is celebrated on the theme “Let’s make breastfeeding and work, work."