Mothers urged to breastfeed babies for six months after birth
PENAMPANG: Mothers have been urged to continue breastfeeding their babies for at least six months after birth.
Assistant Education and Innovation Minister Jenifer Lasimbang said that by doing so, they would strengthen the bond between them and their baby, while at the same time, help boost their child’s immunity against illnesses.
“As a mother myself, I have also decided to breastfeed my baby, and I can see the benefit of it to my child who seldom got ill,” she said during the launch of the Sunlight Pharmacy’s Donggongon branch yesterday.
“Breast milk, as we all know, is specifically designed for baby’s growth and development. The research evidence on the value of breastfeeding, for mothers and their babies, is very compelling. And this body of evidence is growing all the time. Just as importantly, breastfeeding provides a unique early bonding experience for infants and their mothers. This contributes greatly to the baby’s psychological, emotional and social development,” she said.
She also noted that her own mother breastfed her and her 12 other siblings without using any milk formula.
Jenifer stressed the importance of the support for breastfeeding mothers and chided members of the community who looked awkwardly at mothers who are feeding their babies.
“In the past, this was such a normal thing. People thought nothing of it,” she said.
Nevertheless, she also noted that although breastfeeding is completely natural, it is a skill that both mothers and babies need to learn and does pose its own challenges.
“This is one of the major factors that contribute to the low breastfeeding rate in Malaysia,” she said.
Only 30 percent of mothers breastfed their infants exclusively for the first six months, which is still far behind the national target which is 50 percent.
Jenifer then commended the Sunlight Pharmacy for supporting breastfeeding.
“Support for mothers plays an important role to build up breastfeeding culture, this is where community pharmacy comes in hand in hand with local breastfeeding support group.
“As we all know, pharmacies are one of the first line healthcare professionals advice provider for new moms in the community. They visit pharmacists seeking advice for their newborns, searching for suitable infant formula for their babies, and a lot of time expressing their concerns and problems faced while breast feeing their babies.
“We have to make sure our pharmacists are providing upto-date information, adequate supports and immediate referral when required to,” said Jenifer.
The Sunlight Pharmacy branch launced in Donggongon township yesterday is the 15th branch in Sabah.
Sunlight Pharmacy director Jack Sia said the month of November was the pharmacy’s 18th anniversary.
“For 18 years, due to the contribution of the entire Sunlight family and support from the community, we have managed to grow,” he said.
He added that the Sunlight pharmacy was built on trust that emphasizes on its services to its clients.
“To meet the needs of our customers, our pharmacy has expanded its role from the seller of medicine to a pharmacy that offers services such as counselling by experienced pharmacists; offering various products that help improve the standard of health of our customers such as supplement, organic food, medical equipment and others,” he said.
Additionally, the pharmacy also provides counselling for people who want to give up smoking.
“Presently, we have three branches that had been awarded with the MQUIT certificate whereby members of the pharmacy are recognized by the Health Department as trained professionals to help community members who want to give up smoking,” he said.
Aside from that, the pharmacy also provides skin and scalp analysis services.
“We offer high quality products from Korea and Italy to help address skin issues that are becoming prevalent now,” he said.
The pharmacy also provides rental services for wheelchairs, oxygen concentrator and others; as well as carry out repair services for the items.
“We also provide the Medipak service which has been created to help patients adhere to and take their medications safely and in the correct manner,” he said.
Finally, the pharmacy also provides support to breastfeeding mothers and takes part in various campaigns to support breastfeeding, he said.
Also present at the event were Sunlight Pharmacy director Andy Sia and Datuk Sia Hiong Tee, the pharmacy’s secretary.