Breastfeeding Support at FAME
Magdalena breastfeeds her newborn child at FAME’s maternity ward. This is her third baby, but she says she is still learning new things about breastfeeding!
FAME continues to provide breastfeeding support to new mothers to ensure successful breastfeeding outcomes for both mothers and infants. Breast milk is ideal for infants, as it contains all the necessary nutrients for growth and development. In rural areas such as our catchment area, where there are often higher poverty rates, breastfeeding is a simple, smart and cost-effective way to ensure all children survive and thrive.
According to FAME’s Reproductive Health Clinic (RCH) nurse, Kitangile Masheyo, breastfeeding can be challenging for some mothers who may require support and guidance from healthcare providers.
“With proper support and education, most mothers can successfully breastfeed their infants and reap the benefits for themselves and their infants.”
FAME understands that before educating mothers on the importance of breastfeeding, it has to educate its healthcare providers to enable them to offer the best possible support for newly breastfeeding mothers. As part of these efforts, FAME encouraged Kitangile to attend a two-week breastfeeding course offered by the Tanzanian Ministry of Health in Karatu.
“The course trained me on breastfeeding support techniques, such as instruction on proper latch techniques, common breastfeeding challenges and how to address them promptly. This course taught me how to provide one-on-one support to new mothers by answering questions, providing guidance and troubleshooting any issues. I received books from this course that I still refer to occasionally.”
FAME’s Reproductive Health Clinic (RCH) shows a breastfeeding video in the waiting area. These short videos educate mothers on different issues concerning breastfeeding and how to overcome them.
“At FAME’s postnatal clinic, breastfeeding is a central theme. We provide one-on-one consultations to mothers who encounter breastfeeding challenges such as latch and positioning or how to increase milk supply. We also provide educational materials in the form of short breastfeeding videos in the waiting area that educate them on different things, including how long you should breastfeed your child, among others. We also encourage HIV-positive mothers to breastfeed as some are unaware that this is an option for them.”
Maureen’s Story
Maureen.
Maureen’s son, undergoing phototherapy due to his jaundice.
Maureen* just delivered her fourth child at 32 weeks, weighing 3.6 lbs. She has been unable to breastfeed for two days, which the doctors think is due to stress. You see, Maureen was not prepared to go into labor so early. All her other children had been born to term. So when she woke up at 4 am to her water breaking, she was scared.
“My water broke at around 4 am. I woke up panicked. My husband rushed me to FAME, where they confirmed I was in labor. But it was too early! I begged the doctors to help me; I didn’t want to give birth to a premature baby! I was terrified of all the complications that come with it, but sadly, it was too late and I had to deliver.”
Maureen’s baby spent a night in FAME’s Special Care Nursery (SCN) and on the second day, was placed under FAME’s phototherapy units as he had jaundice.
“The medical staff have educated me a lot on breastfeeding. When I got the baby, my milk did not come immediately as it had with the other children. I was very stressed! My child was very small and I couldn’t even feed him! But the staff has educated me on what to eat and to reduce stress and now two days later I have milk! I can pump some milk for him and he is fed by bottle. He’s slowly learning to suckle.”
Maureen is confident about going home soon.
“Being a fourth-time mom, I immediately knew I wanted to breastfeed. However, I was aware that breastfeeding could be challenging in my case as my child was born prematurely. So I was nervous about whether or not I could do it successfully. The guidance and support from the nursing staff at FAME were invaluable and I am very grateful. I have overcome the initial difficulties I encountered while trying to stimulate breast milk and am confident my milk supply will increase as I continue to breastfeed my child.”
Dr. Ken Karanja explains how breastfeeding a premature baby can differ from breastfeeding a full-term baby, how it can be challenging and why the mothers of premature babies may need extra support and guidance from healthcare providers to help them establish and maintain successful breastfeeding.
“Sometimes premature babies have not fully developed the reflexes needed for successful breastfeeding. For example, they may be unable to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. On the other hand, full-term babies are generally born with fully developed reflexes. Mothers of premature babies may experience delayed or reduced milk production due to the baby’s early arrival. In contrast, mothers of full-term babies may have an easier time establishing milk production. These are key differences to keep in mind while supporting a mother of a preemie.”
Carol’s story
Carol and her 3-month-old baby at FAME’s Reproductive Health Clinic (RCH).
Carol* is 27 years old and has two children. She has brought her 3-month-old to FAME’s RCH for routine under-5 vaccinations. She is happy to have discovered FAME, although she wishes she had discovered it earlier.
“When I had my first child eleven years ago, nobody talked to me about breastfeeding and the benefits. When my daughter was two months old, I transitioned her to solid food and stopped breastfeeding. I didn’t know I had to exclusively breastfeed for six months as everyone around me gave solids and liquids to infants at the two-month mark. Looking back, I am so sad that I was not well educated and informed on the benefits of breastfeeding.”
Carol first came to FAME a year ago when she was five months pregnant. She had been working outside Karatu and when she returned, she was looking for hospitals where she could deliver her child. That's when her friends recommended FAME.
“I came for my first prenatal class at FAME’s RCH and was blown away by everything I learnt about pregnancy from that first session, so I kept coming for the prenatal classes and delivered here three months ago. This time, I am breastfeeding my baby with much support from RCH. When I got the baby, I struggled to breastfeed as my milk supply wasn’t enough and the baby did not know how to latch onto the breast; thus, he couldn’t get anything from the breast. It was all very stressful. The RCH nurses answered my questions, advised me when my milk supply dwindled and taught me how to position the baby so they could latch properly on the breast and feed. My baby is now exclusively breastfed and is healthy, happy and thriving. I want to encourage new mothers considering breastfeeding to try and seek help when they face difficulties.”
*The patients’ names have been changed to protect their privacy and permission was secured to share their stories. The quotes have been translated from Swahili to English.