DAVAO CITY, Philippines (PIA) – Mothers in this city that could not breastfeed their newborns due to medical reason, can now provide their infants breast milk through the human milk banking available at the Southern Philippine Medical Center (SPMC) here.

Ma. Teresa Ungson, National Nutrition Council regional head, disclosed that SPMC is presently among the several government hospitals in the country that are starting to provide milk banking in their pediatric services.

Ungson said that instead of turning into milk formula, mothers could have the chance of feeding their babies with the more nutritious breast milk through the milk banking where breast milk donated by lactating mothers are collected and stored.

The human milk banking, which was first launched in Makati City in 2008 led by Senator Pia Cayetano, is part of the country’s endeavors to push for breastfeeding as the best way to nourish the children.

Ungson said milk banking also strengthens the “no bottle feeding” policy in hospitals, which she said is being strictly followed by all government hospitals and health centers in the region.

In its monitoring on private hospitals, she said that some have introduced milk formula in medical cases where mothers could not breastfeed. “The milk banking is the answer to this concern,” she added.

She said that aside from the milk banking program, the government has long been implementing the milk code that disallows milk companies to advertise on any media channel their infant formula products.

“For several years now, we have been doing these advocacies to increase the number of breastfeeding mothers,” she said at the media forum in time for the Nutrition Month celebration.

“We’re trying our best to bring back the culture of breastfeeding,” Ungson said, mentioning that convenience and lifestyle have currently made a toll on breastfeeding.

“Most of the mothers now are working. They only have a two-month maternity leave or less from work when they could fully breastfeed their babies,” she said.

At present, she said, they are introducing and pushing for cup feeding even for infants as another goal to discourage bottle feeding.

“Some mothers now feed their babies with breast milk using spoon or dropper when they are at work or out of the house,” she said, adding that this entails a lot of patience for mothers and for the babysitters.