‘Breastmilk is always best for babies’

The Big Latch On 2017 at the SM City Seaside gathered a total of 1,592 participants which included 804 breastfeeding mothers and 512 latched babies. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BIG LATCH ON 2018

When Hilary Overton gave birth to her daughter, Amara, in 2017, she requested that she stay at the Glory Reborn Maternity Clinic for a few days to have people assist her in breastfeeding her newborn.

Hilary, 36, is a midwife, one who was least expected to have trouble breastfeeding her own biological child after more than a decade of helping mothers in Cebu take care of their babies.

“But that’s the reality, everyone needs help. I am glad that I had the support needed for me to learn about breastfeeding… that I am not alone… that breast milk is the best food I can give to my baby,” said Hilary, an American citizen who moved to Cebu 15 years ago to set up the maternity clinic.

Hilary said she is a witness to the power of breast milk in giving children lifelong health benefits as well as social and emotional security.

Aside from their one-year-old daughter, Hilary and husband David are also in the process of adopting a boy named Fred.

They have been working on the adoption papers for four and a half years.

“I can see the huge difference between the two of them in terms of their growth, development and attachment and connection to me,” she said.

A daughter of missionaries from El Paso, Texas, Hilary first visited Cebu when she was 18 years old.

She was assigned to assist in delivering babies in a clinic located near the former Lorega Cemetery.

It was from this exposure that she saw how three to four mothers either in labor or recovering from childbirth occupied only one bed in a government hospital.

Many of the women did not receive proper care in different stages of their pregnancies. They were also poorly informed about topics such as breastfeeding.

After she completed her midwifery course in the US, Hilary moved back to Cebu in 2003 to establish the maternity clinic on Cabreros Street in Barangay Basak-San Nicholas.

Since then, the clinic and its 32 workers, delivered more than 4,000 healthy babies and assisted thousands of mothers.

Benefits

At the Glory Reborn Maternity Clinic, Hilary said they are conscious about helping the mothers understand the health benefits of breastfeeding.

“We want to give the best to our babies. Breastmilk is the best food that our babies can have,” she said.

Dr. Marini Esguerra, pediatrician and international board certified lactation consultant, said the benefits of breastfeeding also extends to economic well-being and company productivity.

Esguerra said mothers who are breastfeeding only have a 20% chance of being absent from work as breastfed children are healthier.

Breastfeeding decreases by 77% the risks of children to get pneumonia and also decreases the risks of contracting diarrhea by 60 percent.

“Pneumonia and diarrhea are leading causes of death among children in healthcare facilities,” said Esguerra, also the Central Visayas breastfeeding coordinator of Philippine Pediatrics Society (PPS).

Esguerra is a mother of two children aged five and nine years old. She is also the founder of Milk Making Mommies (MMM) and can be reached via her Facebook page, Titadocmom Breastfeeding Center-Cebu.

The Milk Making Mommies Facebook group is a vibrant community of more than 10,000 mothers, fathers, family members and healthcare professionals.

Big latch on

Esguerra’s passion and commitment in educating mothers and the public, in general, led to Cebu’s participation in the Global Big Latch On (BLO) since 2014.

BLO events take place in registered locations around the world, where people gather together to breastfeed and offer peer support to each other.

MMM has been the main host of BLO in cooperation with PPS Central Visayas Chapter and the Philippine Pediatric Society Committee on Breastfeeding.

In 2014, there were 22 breastfeeding mothers who joined the event. The number increased to 56 in 2015. In 2016, the total number of participants reached 1,580 with 351 breastfeeding mothers and 193 babies latched.

Last year, there were 804 breastfeeding mothers and 512 babies latched. There were 1,592 participants including family members and support groups.

For 2018, MMM partnered with Glory Reborn and SM Cares Foundation for the fifth BLO event in Cebu.

This year’s BLO will have participating mothers across all socio-economic status, who will breastfeed their babies at the same time to beat the world record in simultaneous breastfeeding.

Six hundred mothers have pre-registered for the event which will be held at the Mountain Wing of SM City Seaside.

“We are here to tell everyone that breastfeeding is the most natural way to nourish your babies so there is nothing to be ashamed of,” said Esguerra.