The Commission on Population (Popcom) and the Department of Health (DOH) are both observing Breastfeeding and Family Planning Month throughout August. Last month, it was reported the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) observed World Breastfeeding Week, which began yesterday and runs until August 7.

“Poverty is more than the lack of income and resources, it also encompasses hunger and malnutrition,” explained Popcom executive director, Dr. Juan Antonio A. Perez III, during a previous observance. “If we plan the number of children in the family, we will be able to provide all the needs of our family including food.”

“If we breastfeed or promote breastfeeding, we ensure proper nutrition for our children,” he added.

With regard to the week-long international event, the observance commemorates the Innocenti Declaration, signed in 1990, which named breastfeeding a contributor to an infant’s healthy growth. The policy also noted, the practice reduces incidence of severe illness.

WHO, alongside UNICEF, will work together this year in promoting the importance of breastfeeding within the first hour of life.

According to WHO, “Skin-to-skin contact, along with suckling at the breast, stimulate the production of breastmilk, including colostrum, also called the baby’s ‘first vaccine,’ which is extremely rich in nutrients and antibodies.”/WDJ