MANILA, 27 September 2007 — Breastfeeding is gaining ground in the Philippines despite an aggressive advertising by milk companies, says Arugaan, a non-governmental organization that establishes a support system for women with infants and young children.
Arugaan has launched a series of monthly educational forum on parenting last Sunday, with newly married couples, breastfeeding mothers, expectant parents, doctors and breastfeeding advocates attended the seminar.
Arugaan Executive Director Inez Fernandez told Arab News that in this present age when both parents are working for a living, fathers should support the mothers by “fathering” them. This entails a change of viewpoint of Filipino men who have been raised to become sole breadwinners and got no more time for parenting the child.
Even while men cannot breastfeed, fathers can support the mothers in every way they can be of help. Fathers can learn how to bathe, play, change diapers and feed their babies using “cup feeding method” while the mother is away or busy with her own life.
Arugaan teaches parents how to do it to strengthen the breastfeeding culture that has almost been forgotten in the Philippines.
Jonathan Adam Roxas, a young computer engineer who is the father of five-year old Jehielle and three-month old Voegelle, said in his talk that he rushes to his family immediately after work to be able to share parenting tasks with his wife Velvet. Endearingly called Atan, he bathes their babies, cuddles them and “bonds” with them as much as possible.
“Velvet had already them for nine months in her tummy. And then she bonds with them while she is breastfeeding them. I got to catch up with time to be able to bond too with my kids,” he explained.
He said he does not watch basketball or soccer games on TV or go out with friends because his every moment is devoted to their two girls.
Purely breastfed, Jehielle and Voegelle are healthy, strong and happy children who are taller and more intelligent than other girls their age.
Given her time to share in the forum, Atan’s wife Velvet said: “Let us now talk about basketball.
“It needs a game plan and a lot of teamwork — much like parenting and breastfeeding.”
Velvet had the first-ever recorded water birthing in the Philippines when she gave birth to Voegelle.
She is calm, relaxed and had only a short labor period to deliver the baby via the new method. She gave birth while in a tub of lukewarm water which temperature is like that of the amniotic fluid in the mother’s tummy. It is called “gentle birthing” that encourages active participation of the father while the baby is about to be born.
