How to celebrate Nutrition Month 2011 & promote BREASTFEEDING TSEK

So it's Nutrition Month but do you have any idea as to how to celebrate it? Do you tell your friends about it? Or email them some FAQs? Anyway, seen below are some ways to celebrate Nutrition Month 2011 and promote BREASTFEEDING TSEK?

The promotion, protection and support to breastfeeding to ensure TSEK can be done in various settings:
a. Families/Communities
• Report violations of the Milk Code to the Department of Health to prevent unregulated marketing of formula milk which threatens to undermine the practice of breastfeeding. Health and nutrition workers and health facilities must not be used to promoting breastfeeding. There must be no milk company-supported activities. Remove marketing materials of formula milk in health facilities.
• Create local media watch monitor Milk Code violations and report to the Department of Health.
• Volunteer as breastfeeding peer counselor. Help other mothers to become successful in breastfeeding and in giving appropriate complementary feedings after 6 months. Peer counselors are mothers who have had successful breastfeeding experiences and provide peer-to-peer counseling to other mothers with difficulties in breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices. In some areas, there are male volunteers who help advocate for breastfeeding as well provide counseling to mothers, fathers, and other family members to create a supportive family environment for appropriate infant and young child feeding practices. Ask your midwife, nutrition action officer and other health and nutrition personnel in your community.
• From support groups in communities. Mother-to-mother support groups are women, and men too, who want to share their experiences in infant and young child feeding, mutually support each other through their own experiences, strengthen or modify certain attitudes and practices and learn from each other.
• Protect breastfeeding even during emergencies and disasters. Young infants are especially vulnerable during emergencies and disasters particularly to diarrhea, acute respiratory tract infections and malnutrition, breastfeeding reduces the risk of death up to six times during emergencies. The Milk Code does not allow donation of formula milk increases the risk to death and disease. There are many dangers of using formula milk – by itself formula milk is not sterile; unsafe when there is not enough clean water to sterilize feeding bottles and prepare the formula; water used may be contaminated; there may be no equipment, fuel, cooking pots, and water to sterilize feeding bottles; incorrect proportion of formula milk with water which can result to over or under-diluted formula; and formula milk does not protect against infections unlike breast milk. It is therefore best to be prepared during emergencies by having trained personnel on infant and young child feeding to be able to assist, support and counsel mothers to continue breastfeeding even during emergencies.
• Disseminate correct information about breastfeeding. Conducting seminars and other for a to discuss breastfeeding among mothers and also gathers together with the experts on breastfeeding. Many misconceptions about breastfeeding still exist which prevent mothers and their families to practice breastfeeding. Help correct these misconceptions by increasing awareness on correct breastfeeding practices.
• Family members can support breastfeeding mothers by building her confidence that she can and is able to breastfeed, help care for the baby so the mother can have enough rest; provide nutritious and balance meals; and give practical help. A supportive family and community environment increases the likelihood that the mother will initiate and continue to breastfeed.
• Pass local resolutions and ordinances that enforce the Milk Code, promote infant and young child feeding, establish lactation stations in barangay halls, markets and other places, providing budget for breastfeeding promotion, peer counseling and support groups.

b. Working Places
• Establish lactation stations in accordance with the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act (RA 10028) wherein the lactations centers shall be adequately provided with the necessary equipment and facilities, such as: lavatory for handwashing, unless there is an easily-accessible lavatory nearby; refrigeration or appropriate cooling facilities for storing expressed breastmilk; electrical outlets for breast pumps; a small table; comfortable seats; and other items, the standards of which are defined by the Department of Health.
• Provide breastfeeding breaks for working mothers in addition to their regular breaks. The breastfeeding breaks should not be less than 40 minutes for every 8 hours of work.
• Enforce the two-month maternity leave or allow work-from-home scheme to enable the mother to continue exclusive breastfeeding.
• Do not allow any direct or indirect marketing, promotion or sales of infant formula or breastmilk substitutes within the workplace.
c. Health Facility
• Be certified as a Mother-Baby Friendly Hospital (MBFH). Follow the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. Implement the Essential Newborn Care Protocol. Train Health Facility staff on lactation management. Contact the center for Health Development in your region for details on the MBFH certification.
• Provide pre-and post-natal services for pregnant and lactating women to support mothers top breastfeed their child.
• Set-up milk banks or milk storage and pasteurization facilities for breastmilk donated by mothers. The milk shall be given to infants in the neonatal intensive care unit whose own mothers are seriously ill.
• Provide continuing education, re-education and training of health workers including doctors, nurses, midwives, nutritionist-dietitians on current and updated lactation management. Health workers must be able to provide correct information and support for breastfeeding.
• Produce and distribute information materials on breastfeeding for distribution to mothers in addition to breastfeeding counseling.
• Refer breastfeeding mothers prior to discharge from the health facility, to breastfeeding support groups in the community to help them continue breastfeeding when they return home.
d. Schools
• Integration of infant and young child feeding in the curriculum. The Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority are tasked to integrate in the relevant subjects in the elementary, high school and college levels, especially in the medical and education, the importance, benefits, methods or techniques of breastfeeding and change of societal attitudes towards breastfeeding.
• Enforcement of Milk Code in schools. Schools must not allow any marketing including sponsorship from milk companies within the school. Schools must not also accept donations of formula milk and breastmilk substitutes as this is against the Milk Code.
• Place posters, brochures and other information about breastfeeding in school-based health centers.
• Establish lactation stations in the school to enable teaching and non-teaching personnel to breastfeed or express and store breastmilk. Schools are also considered workplaces and therefore must comply with the provisions of RA 10028.
e. Industries/manufacturers
• Compliance to the milk code by milk companies. Strictly no marketing of products within the scope of the Milk Code.
• Fortify food that are mandated by RA8976 or the Food Fortification Law and Volunteer to fortify other food products.
Compliance to the Code Hygienic Practice for food for infants and Children of manufacturers in accordance to the proper handling of foods in the food chain. This will ensure that food products intended for infants and children are safe.

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