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Apr 30 - GHA Marks National Breast Feeding Awareness Week

ghaGHA Marks National Breast Feeding Awareness Week

During the month of May, the Gibraltar Health Authority will mark National Breast Feeding Awareness week. Pat Rice, Sister at St Bernard’s Maternity Unit was asked why Breast feeding gave babies the best start in life.

An advocate for breast feeding Pat explained the positive benefits for both baby and mother.

Breast milk is very nutritious and contains the right amount of protein, fat, sugar and water to help babies grow. It is very easily digested and gives the baby all the nutrients required for the first six months of life. It helps protect the baby from obesity, childhood diabetes, asthma, eczema, gastro-intestinal and other infections.

Breast feeding allows the mother and baby to form a strong physical and emotional bond. The advantages for the mother are that it is convenient always readily available and best of all portable. Mothers can regain their figures more quickly and it helps the womb to contract back to its normal size. The other major health benefits are a reduction in the breast and ovarian cancer rates and osteoporosis in later life.

To highlight and promote the benefits of Breast Feeding the midwives at St Bernard’s are holding an open morning at Mothercare store, Main Street on Thursday 29th May. The session will run from 10am until 2pm local midwives will be on hand to answer any questions and to discuss the 10 steps to successful breast feeding.

The session will be supported by the Breast Cancer awareness group and the local charity BABYSTEPPS. Any member of the public who wants to know more is welcome to attend and to share their experiences. All family members are welcome.

Minister for Health, Dr John Cortes, commented, ‘The benefits of breast feeding are well known, buy it is a message that still needs to be put out with enthusiasm for the benefit of babies and mums. This is another example of how proactive our staff in the GHA is when promoting health, and in working side by side with health and well-being NGOs. They know that such initiatives carry the full support of the Government and of the GHA. I am pleased to encourage members of the public to support the event, and other health professionals to organise similar initiatives.’