Taguig organizes first-ever breastfeeding competition in PH
Published Sep 1, 2019 05:58 pm
By Dhel Nazario
The City Government of Taguig recently organized the first-ever Breastfeeding Olympics in the country, gathering hundreds of lactating mothers at the Taguig Lakeshore Hall.
(I LOVE TAGUIG / FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN)
Over 28 barangays from the city competed in the event organized by the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital (TPDH) and the Taguig City Nutrition Office, with each collecting the higher volume of breast milk for Taguig City Human Milk Bank.
Barangay New Lower Bicutan topped the Breastfeeding Olympics by collecting 1,170 milliliters of breast milk. In second and third places were Barangays Bagumbayan and Lower Bicutan, which accumulated 1,130 ml and 1,040 ml, respectively.
In total, the friendly competition generated 18 liters of breast milk from 207 mothers. All mothers from the winning barangay took home lactation treats such as squash, cucumber, saba, calamansi and pineapple, and 5 kilos of rice.
“I was very much willing to participate not only to help my barangay win but also to help fellow moms feed their babies with breast milk,” said 30-year-old Mary Rose Santos.
“Breast milk has properties that make it better food for infants than formula milk, so I wanted to contribute mine to a mother and child who need these benefits,” she said. “I would like to thank Taguig for giving me this opportunity to help out.”
The event was part of the celebration of the 2019 Breastfeeding Awareness Month with the theme, “Lakas ng Magulang, Sigla ng Pagpapasuso-Kalusugan, Nutrisyon at Kinabukasan ng Kabataan.”
Dr. Vivian Eustaquio, from the office of Sen. Pia Cayetano, gave the attendees a Breastfeeding 101, where she discussed the benefits of latching to both the mother and her baby, as well as diseases of the breast, among other topics.
Another part of the program was the “Hakab na, Taguig!” ceremony, where -- as the word "hakab" which means "to latch" suggests -- sees mothers breastfeed their babies simultaneously for at least a minute.
Among the purposes of the event is to change the negative attitude towards breastfeeding and to encourage mothers to be comfortable to breastfeed even in public places.
Breast milk gathered at the event was pasteurized for use of babies confined in TPDH’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit, outpatient infants, as well as babies admitted in other hospitals who are in need of breast milk.
Residents can be assured that the breast milk collected is safe for consumption. Donors are required to undertake a series of steps that include interviews and testing for hepatitis B, syphilis and HIV. Only if these are passed will they be eligible.
In 2015, the Department of Health dubbed the city-owned TPDH “Mother-Baby Friendly,” recognizing its outstanding implementation of a breastfeeding policy, staff training on lactation management, strong link with the community to sustain breastfeeding and compliance with Executive Order No. 51, also known as the Milk Code, and Republic Act No. 7600 or Rooming-In and Breastfeeding Act of 1992.
In the same year, the probinsyudad launched the Taguig City Human Milk Bank, only the third established by a local government unit in the country. As one of the few LGU-owned milk banks, it has now helped around 500 beneficiaries and recruited more than 3,000 breast milk donors. The facility has now collected 945.8 liters of breast milk since its launching.
(I LOVE TAGUIG / FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN)
Over 28 barangays from the city competed in the event organized by the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital (TPDH) and the Taguig City Nutrition Office, with each collecting the higher volume of breast milk for Taguig City Human Milk Bank.
Barangay New Lower Bicutan topped the Breastfeeding Olympics by collecting 1,170 milliliters of breast milk. In second and third places were Barangays Bagumbayan and Lower Bicutan, which accumulated 1,130 ml and 1,040 ml, respectively.
In total, the friendly competition generated 18 liters of breast milk from 207 mothers. All mothers from the winning barangay took home lactation treats such as squash, cucumber, saba, calamansi and pineapple, and 5 kilos of rice.
“I was very much willing to participate not only to help my barangay win but also to help fellow moms feed their babies with breast milk,” said 30-year-old Mary Rose Santos.
“Breast milk has properties that make it better food for infants than formula milk, so I wanted to contribute mine to a mother and child who need these benefits,” she said. “I would like to thank Taguig for giving me this opportunity to help out.”
The event was part of the celebration of the 2019 Breastfeeding Awareness Month with the theme, “Lakas ng Magulang, Sigla ng Pagpapasuso-Kalusugan, Nutrisyon at Kinabukasan ng Kabataan.”
Dr. Vivian Eustaquio, from the office of Sen. Pia Cayetano, gave the attendees a Breastfeeding 101, where she discussed the benefits of latching to both the mother and her baby, as well as diseases of the breast, among other topics.
Another part of the program was the “Hakab na, Taguig!” ceremony, where -- as the word "hakab" which means "to latch" suggests -- sees mothers breastfeed their babies simultaneously for at least a minute.
Among the purposes of the event is to change the negative attitude towards breastfeeding and to encourage mothers to be comfortable to breastfeed even in public places.
Breast milk gathered at the event was pasteurized for use of babies confined in TPDH’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit, outpatient infants, as well as babies admitted in other hospitals who are in need of breast milk.
Residents can be assured that the breast milk collected is safe for consumption. Donors are required to undertake a series of steps that include interviews and testing for hepatitis B, syphilis and HIV. Only if these are passed will they be eligible.
In 2015, the Department of Health dubbed the city-owned TPDH “Mother-Baby Friendly,” recognizing its outstanding implementation of a breastfeeding policy, staff training on lactation management, strong link with the community to sustain breastfeeding and compliance with Executive Order No. 51, also known as the Milk Code, and Republic Act No. 7600 or Rooming-In and Breastfeeding Act of 1992.
In the same year, the probinsyudad launched the Taguig City Human Milk Bank, only the third established by a local government unit in the country. As one of the few LGU-owned milk banks, it has now helped around 500 beneficiaries and recruited more than 3,000 breast milk donors. The facility has now collected 945.8 liters of breast milk since its launching.