Here’s the secret to healthy children

The twins are a handful. And a lungful, especially now that they have discovered that they can squeal.

Praise Muthoni and Pillar Waweru are seven-month-old twins, and are attempting to crawl. Their mother, Meg Wambui, who is 31, says the two have been in excellent health. Meg credits this to the fact that she exclusively breastfed her twins for six months.

Raising one child on breast milk alone for this duration is hard enough, but two? Meg says that it is possible,. She did it, after all, and the benefits, she says, are worth it. Praise currently weighs 6.9 kilogrammes while Pillar weighs 6.8 kilogrammes.

This mother has two older children, seven-year old Ray Kuria and four-year-old David-Jay.

“I exclusively breastfed my first born son, Ray, for six months, but with my second born, David-Jay, I only managed to breastfeed him for four months because I had to return to work,” Meg says.
She suspects that this could have been the cause of his constantly falling ill.

“He often got colds and a running nose and as a result, we were often in and out of hospital,” Meg says.

David-Jay’s sickly nature is what prompted Meg and her husband, 36-year old Anthony Waweru, to pledge that if they got other children, Meg would exclusively breastfeed them for the first six months of their life, no matter what it took.

When the twins came along in January this year, the Wawerus vowed to stay true to their pledge.

They admit that it was not easy and they had to sacrifice a lot to achieve this, including Meg giving up her job as a kindergarten manager and teacher.

The couple knew that surviving on one source of income would be tough, bearing in mind that they now had four children to feed, but they were determined to give their children a healthy start.

Another sacrifice that this mother made was to survive on a few hours of sleep so that she could breastfeed the twins on demand. She also put socialising on hold, especially during the first few months, so that she could focus on looking after her children.

Her husband, Anthony, also played an important role in helping Meg to achieve her target.

“When I had to breastfeed the twins at the same time, Anthony would help to position them properly, irrespective of the hour,” Meg says, as she demonstrates how she holds the twins, who are still breastfeeding.

At that moment, Anthony arrives home and Praise chuckles on seeing him and tries to free herself from her mother. But he has to wash his hands first before he can pick her up. When he walks out of the room to do so, Praise lets out a scream of protest. Clearly, father and daughter see a lot of each other.

“We knew that it would be very difficult especially since we were talking about two children, but we were determined to make it work,” Anthony says.

The sacrifices they made, he says, were worth it if only because the twins have enjoyed good health.

“Besides the health benefits of breastfeeding, you also save a lot of money since you don’t have to buy formula, which is very expensive,” Anthony said.

Having seen the benefits, the Wawerus have taken it upon themselves to encourage friends to exclusively breastfeed their children. Thanks to them, two of their friends who, interestingly, also got twins, are determined to give nothing but breast milk to their children for the first six months of their lives.

A few months ago, Meg stumbled upon a support group hosted on Facebook for mothers in Kenya determined to offer their children a healthy start to life.

Meg is one of the 2,600 group members and says it has helped her achieve the six-month mark and encourages other mothers to join the crusaders.

“We encourage each other by sharing our experiences through the various updates on the social networking site and files posted by members on breastfeeding research,” she notes.

We found out that we faced the same challenges of poor latching, sleepless nights, soreness, gassy babies, and low milk supply. We live each day at a time, working towards the target, she added.
Machocho notes that members of the online support group are expected to abide by set rules as the mothers work towards the six-month target.

“We understand that for some, exclusive breastfeeding does not go as planned and some feel compelled to use formula. We respect every mother’s decision with regard to the feeding choices they make; after all, we are all trying to do our best with the resources we have.

The sacrifices they made, he says, were worth it if only because the twins have enjoyed good health.

“Besides the health benefits of breastfeeding, you also save a lot of money since you don’t have to buy formula, which is very expensive,” Anthony said.

Having seen the benefits, the Wawerus have taken it upon themselves to encourage friends to exclusively breastfeed their children. Thanks to them, two of their friends who, interestingly, also got twins, are determined to give nothing but breast milk to their children for the first six months of their lives.

A few months ago, Meg stumbled upon a support group hosted on Facebook for mothers in Kenya determined to offer their children a healthy start to life.

Meg is one of the 2,600 group members and says it has helped her achieve the six-month mark and encourages other mothers to join the crusaders.

“We encourage each other by sharing our experiences through the various updates on the social networking site and files posted by members on breastfeeding research,” she notes.

We found out that we faced the same challenges of poor latching, sleepless nights, soreness, gassy babies, and low milk supply. We live each day at a time, working towards the target, she added.
Machocho notes that members of the online support group are expected to abide by set rules as the mothers work towards the six-month target.

“We understand that for some, exclusive breastfeeding does not go as planned and some feel compelled to use formula. We respect every mother’s decision with regard to the feeding choices they make; after all, we are all trying to do our best with the resources we have.

However, we feel that the main aim of this group is to promote breastfeeding — posting about formula detracts from this. There are very few groups that are dedicated purely to breastfeeding and we really want this one to remain one of them. Therefore, we respectfully request that we refrain from making any posts about formula,” reads one of the posts from the group’s administrators.

Machocho opened the support group on Facebook a year ago to share her experiences as a mother on her quest to exclusively breastfeed her now one-and-a-half year-old son.

“As a first time mom, I thought breastfeeding was natural and automatic, but my nipples were bruised and bleeding three weeks after childbirth. I had no idea that this was due to the fact that my son wasn’t latching properly. It wasn’t until I started researching on my own on the internet that I realised where the problem was,” she told Living.

She adds, “I realised there is very little support for breastfeeding in Kenya, and especially for the working mother, that so many mothers could also be going through similar challenges like I did.”
Machocho reached out to other working mothers in the same predicament, and hence the birth of the online breastfeeding support group.

The group is run by six administrators who address breastfeeding issues and help mothers keep their eyes on the goal; six months of breast milk alone and thereafter, breastfeeding after introducing supplementary feeding without introducing any other source of milk until their child clocks a year.

Machocho stressed the importance of support from fathers, which acts as a cushion to external factors that pressure mothers to introduce solids earlier than the recommended six months.
Meg is now on to another challenge — to supplement feeding with her breast milk and not introduce cow milk until after her twins celebrate their first birthday.

Although it seemed unachievable to critics who urged her to introduce solids earlier than recommended, Meg and Anthony have stood their ground and encouraged many more mothers to uphold the practice.

The World Health Organisation recommends that you try to breastfeed within an hour of giving birth.

The organisation advises that one should breastfeed whenever the baby wants to suckle, often not less than eight to 10 times a day. This helps the mother to produce a lot more milk for the baby. Holding the baby in the wrong position may lead to sore or cracked nipples, depriving the baby of milk.

Certain medical problems can make breastfeeding risky for you or your baby. For example, if you have an infection such as HIV, there is a possibility that you could pass this on to your baby through breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding may also not be appropriate if you have a serious heart or kidney problem.

Gladys Mugambi, a nutritionist with the Ministry of Health, says that exclusive breastfeeding plays a crucial role in the growth and development of newborns.

According to Gladys, breastfeeding is the best food for the child until six months because it not only serves as food, but also provides the much-needed immunity the newborn needs in the first years of life.

“Close contact or skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby is also important because it promotes bonding — this can be achieved through breastfeeding,” she says.

Besides this, breast milk is safe and contains antibodies that help protect infants from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, the two primary causes of child mortality in Kenya.
WHO cites nipple pain and fear that there is not enough milk to sustain the baby as the most common complaints of breastfeeding mothers.

The WHO also recognises other breastfeeding benefits to mothers.

“Exclusive breastfeeding is associated with a natural (though not fail-safe) method of birth control (98 per cent protection in the first six months after birth). It reduces risks of breast and ovarian cancer later in life and helps women return to their pre-pregnancy weight faster.”

Would you like to join a breastfeeding support group? Log on to https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/409879919070157/

However, we feel that the main aim of this group is to promote breastfeeding — posting about formula detracts from this. There are very few groups that are dedicated purely to breastfeeding and we really want this one to remain one of them. Therefore, we respectfully request that we refrain from making any posts about formula,” reads one of the posts from the group’s administrators.

Machocho opened the support group on Facebook a year ago to share her experiences as a mother on her quest to exclusively breastfeed her now one-and-a-half year-old son.

“As a first time mom, I thought breastfeeding was natural and automatic, but my nipples were bruised and bleeding three weeks after childbirth. I had no idea that this was due to the fact that my son wasn’t latching properly. It wasn’t until I started researching on my own on the internet that I realised where the problem was,” she told Living.

She adds, “I realised there is very little support for breastfeeding in Kenya, and especially for the working mother, that so many mothers could also be going through similar challenges like I did.”
Machocho reached out to other working mothers in the same predicament, and hence the birth of the online breastfeeding support group.

The group is run by six administrators who address breastfeeding issues and help mothers keep their eyes on the goal; six months of breast milk alone and thereafter, breastfeeding after introducing supplementary feeding without introducing any other source of milk until their child clocks a year.

Machocho stressed the importance of support from fathers, which acts as a cushion to external factors that pressure mothers to introduce solids earlier than the recommended six months.
Meg is now on to another challenge — to supplement feeding with her breast milk and not introduce cow milk until after her twins celebrate their first birthday.

Although it seemed unachievable to critics who urged her to introduce solids earlier than recommended, Meg and Anthony have stood their ground and encouraged many more mothers to uphold the practice.

The World Health Organisation recommends that you try to breastfeed within an hour of giving birth.

The organisation advises that one should breastfeed whenever the baby wants to suckle, often not less than eight to 10 times a day. This helps the mother to produce a lot more milk for the baby. Holding the baby in the wrong position may lead to sore or cracked nipples, depriving the baby of milk.

Certain medical problems can make breastfeeding risky for you or your baby. For example, if you have an infection such as HIV, there is a possibility that you could pass this on to your baby through breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding may also not be appropriate if you have a serious heart or kidney problem.

Gladys Mugambi, a nutritionist with the Ministry of Health, says that exclusive breastfeeding plays a crucial role in the growth and development of newborns.

According to Gladys, breastfeeding is the best food for the child until six months because it not only serves as food, but also provides the much-needed immunity the newborn needs in the first years of life.

“Close contact or skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby is also important because it promotes bonding — this can be achieved through breastfeeding,” she says.

Besides this, breast milk is safe and contains antibodies that help protect infants from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, the two primary causes of child mortality in Kenya.
WHO cites nipple pain and fear that there is not enough milk to sustain the baby as the most common complaints of breastfeeding mothers.

The WHO also recognises other breastfeeding benefits to mothers.

“Exclusive breastfeeding is associated with a natural (though not fail-safe) method of birth control (98 per cent protection in the first six months after birth). It reduces risks of breast and ovarian cancer later in life and helps women return to their pre-pregnancy weight faster.”

Would you like to join a breastfeeding support group? Log on to https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/409879919070157/