Grove Health Centre honours 56 lactating mothers

GROVE HEALTH CENTRE PUBLICLY RECOGNISED 56 MOTHERS living between
Prospect to Grove for exclusively breastfeeding their babies between June 2020 to August this
year to commemorate World Breastfeeding Week.
The global event was held from August 1 st  to August 7 th  under the theme ‘Protect
Breastfeeding: A shared responsibility.’

The health centre authorities recognised the mothers with tokens.
Public Health Nutritionist and National Breastfeeding Coordinator, Ms. Gillian Trim who
addressed the recognition ceremony, underscored the nature of breast-feeding.
“Breastfeeding is of utmost importance, since it is ordained by God, he intended mothers to
breastfeed since he sends the child with their food and a child is born knowing to suckle.  All of
the identified benefits are enjoyed and even benefits not discovered as yet are also enjoyed,”
Trim said.
Trim, a senior official from the Food Policy Division of the Ministry of Health, told the mothers,
“One of the very long-term benefits is that breastfed children are brighter and many of them go
on to higher education, thus acquiring the better paying jobs, while being able to live healthier
lives for themselves and family.”
She stressed that all mothers should exclusively breast feed their babies noting that it will aid in
reducing some of the medical and other difficulties being encountered by children across the
country.
“We promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and continue breastfeeding
until the child is two years and beyond. Exclusive breastfeeding means only breast milk, no other
food or drink is given, not even water.”
Head Nurse at the Grove Health Centre, Althea Bryan Hinds, said breastfeeding is very
important in the holistic growth and development of a child.
“A mother doesn’t have to breast feed by herself, the father, uncles and everybody available can
participate so she can express that breastmilk and they can cup feed, so we are promoting
exclusive breastfeeding. Since I am at Grove Health Centre, I am trying my best with those

admissions and antenatal mothers to exclusively breastfeed their children,” nurse Bryan Hinds
said.

She reminded the mothers that breast feeding is “cheaper. You don’t have to get a bottle, you
don’t need supplements, you don’t need a stove, you don’t need a flask as all you do is take out
the breast.”
In addition, “the milk is at the right temperature, the amount of all nutrients is adequate for that
baby, it is easily digested, it creates involution for the mothers which means that the uterus
shrinks back to its pre-pregnancy stage, thus helping to keep their tummy nice and flat. So, it has
benefits for both mothers and baby and it helps in preventing breast cancer within the mothers
also.”
“There are benefits in breastfeeding and it is eco-friendly as you don’t see a breast hanging
out at the dump site but you see the formulas, the tins, stoves, flask and everything at the
dumpsite,” Nurse Hinds explained.