World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. This year’s World Breastfeeding Week slogan is “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding”.
A programme to commemorate Breast Feeding Week-2019 was organized by the District Medical Office, Ernakulam on the 8th of August 2019 at Community Health Centre , Edapally.The formal inauguration of the programme was by Shri P T Thomas, MLA, Thrikkakkara assembly. The audience mainly comprised Anganwadi workers from all wards of Kochi Corporation. An informative session on the importance and breast feeding for the mother and the infant was delivered by Gynecologist Dr.Sreeja and Pediatrician Dr.Vinitha respectively. The other dignitaries present include Dr.N K Kuttappan, Dr.S.Sreedevi ,P G Radhakrishnana, Dr.Kishore, Dr.Sona, Dr.Nikhilesh and Mr.Sageer Sudheendran.
Post graduate students in Food Science and Nutrition, Department of Home Science, St. Teresas’s College participated in the programme with a Nutribition that had both charts as well as low cost recipes suitable for lactating mothers. A skit to highlight the advantages of breast feeding was enacted by the students on the occasion. Faculty Dr. Rashmi H Poojara and Dr. Shilpa Jose ,Faculty, Department of Home Science participated in the programme.