Today marks the start of the World Breastfeeding Week, which runs from 1 – 7 August 2014. As usual, I always attend the launch of the event as I am breastfeeding advocate number one 
(especially exclusive breastfeeding). You can read my last year’s post here.
During this month, you will see me writing alot more breastfeeding posts, in a bid to continue creating awareness on the immense benefits of breastmilk and breastfeeding.
So I have spent today at Pumwani Maternity Hospital where the celebrations were being officially launched. Here are some photos of the event.
This is first time mom Jane Muthoni who I met at the wards. The 21 year old cashier at a hotel was overjoyed as she held her baby. She delivered Falzana Wanjiku who weighed 3.4kg at birth. How cute! And by the way Jane had delivered her baby this morning. #strongwoman
The Community Health Workers in Kamukunji performed an interesting skit. At the end, they invited the audience to dance along with them. This is KBC’s Marie Yambo returning to her seat after doing a jig
The event was graced by among others, Rachel Nyamai -Member of Parliament for Kitui South and chair of the Parliamentary Health Committee as well as the wife of Nairobi County’s deputy governer Mrs. Catherine Mueke. They did ward rounds where they had a chat with new moms and talked to them about the importance of breastfeeding.
So that was my day today. I’ve just gotten home, very tired. It was good day, plus it was also nice to board those number 9 matatu’s to Eastleigh which I hadn’t boarded in quite a while!
By the way I took those rickety old ones and I paid 50 bob. I sat next to the driver and in conversation he told me that “you see that manyanga (pointing at one new, souped up, graffiti drawn, sparkling rims, boom-twaf matatu), they would have charged you 100 bob”. And the rickety ones by the way are the ones that fika mwisho of huko Garissa lodge, while the manyanga’s just turn somewhere along the way before the end stage.
So I asked why 100 bob and the told me they charge an extra 50 bob because you get to listen to music in them. Clearly I’m old because I don’t understand how I can pay an extra 50 bob for a distance of about seven minutes. (town to Pumwani Hospital took about 7 minutes and it’s only because we stopped stopped along the way as some people alighted).
A whole 50 shillings extra??? How many banana’s are those I can buy for my boys? Weeeee! No.
Anyway have a lovely weekend, and in your own capacity, try and encourage every new mom to breastfeed. Also let her know that it’s possible to hack exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. I did it with my first son (when I was employed) and I did it with my second son (when I was self-employed). With determination, all moms can achieve this.
Talk to you next week God willing!
