Nairobi: Murang'a County has marked World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) 2025 by engaging healthcare workers in Continuing Medical Education (CME) to better equip them in supporting breastfeeding mothers. Speaking to KNA, the Nutrition Officer at the Murang'a County Referral Hospital, Purity Gitonga, announced the county's focus on training healthcare providers this year.
According to Kenya News Agency, Gitonga emphasized the need to equip health personnel with both knowledge and skills to support breastfeeding at all levels of care. 'We have engaged 82 nurses and nursing students at the facility today. The aim is to ensure they are well-prepared to support new mothers,' Gitonga stated. She highlighted the importance of healthcare practitioners ensuring that every child is breastfed within the first hour of birth and assisting mothers facing challenges such as flat nipples or poor attachment.
Additionally, nutrition officials are training healthcare workers and educating women at Antenatal Clinics and Mother and Child Health Clinics as part of community sensitisation efforts. Furthermore, Gitonga noted that the county is also empowering Community Health Promoters (CHPs) with key breastfeeding messages to disseminate at the community level. 'We are encouraging mother-to-mother support groups and also sharing breastfeeding tips and guidance on social media,' she said.
The Nutrition officer stressed the importance of educating mothers attending antenatal clinics on exclusive breastfeeding, cautioning against the use of breastmilk substitutes. Gitonga urged mothers to trust the guidance given by trained health professionals and challenged providers to empower other caregivers such as partners and grandparents of newborns, with correct information on breastfeeding.
Murang'a County Nutrition Coordinator Nancy Mwangi, on her part, highlighted additional county efforts to support breastfeeding, including the establishment of lactation stations at Kirwara and Kigumo Level 4 Hospitals to provide safe and welcoming spaces for breastfeeding staff. Mwangi said this initiative complements existing government support, such as maternity leave granted to all new mothers.
She noted that 15 health facilities, both public and private, are actively implementing the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) and have completed self-assessments to ensure the provision of quality care. 'We're also training health workers under the BFHI to promote early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months,' Mwangi added.
WBW is marked every year in the first week of August. This year, it has been commemorated under the theme 'Prioritise Breastfeeding - Create Sustainable Support Systems'.