11 Aug 2019

Women have been advised to use breastfeeding since it strengthens the bond between mother and child. 

Motivational speaker, Ms Mareah Mpule, made the appeal during a World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) commemoration in Francistown recently. 

Ms Mpule noted that some children grew up to be rascals because they did not get love from their mothers, straight from birth, stressing “where there is no bond, there is no communication and healthy living”. 

She said women needed to refrain from using bottled milk since it killed the bond and lacked nutrients unlike breast milk, which had a significant role in contributing to the optimal health and development of a child. 

Mahube Primary School pupil, Cynthia Nthusang, said breastfeeding reduced chances of contracting ailments such as diarrhea, and asthma. 

She noted that breastfeeding had nut-ritional optima, adding, “the more a woman breastfeeds, the less chances of having breast cancer”. 

For her part, Ms Omphile Sebopeng, a nurse at Botswelelo clinic, said one of the objectives of the commemoration was to fight for women’s rights and policies that allowed lactating women to breastfeed during working hours without being judged and to create a friendly breastfeeding society and nation. 

Ms Sebopeng said the commemoration was also geared at advocating for paternity leave, where fathers would be given a chance to support their women during lactating months. 

She said one of the ways to promote breastfeeding was to engage both the community and leaders in educational talks. 

Botswelelo clinic matron, Ms Josephine Mothupi, said working with community leaders helped spread information about the importance of breastfeeding. 

Reverend Philip Butale urged men to encourage women to breastfeed, noting that breastfeeding was not just a one woman’s job, but required both parents. Ends