Erin Angela Camacho, nutrition services coordinator of the WIC program, said the women’s forums were held on Tinian on Oct. 17, Rota on Oct. 24 and Saipan on Oct. 31.
Julie Cruz, nutrition technician who conducted the Tinian and Rota forums and helped out on the Saipan forum, said in her reports that the biggest issue discussed on Tinian was lactation.
“The women were concerned why they could not lactate or produce enough milk to feed their infant,” Cruz said.
She addressed the issue by explaining the “supply and demand” theory.
“It is important for the mother to know the infant’s hunger cues and feeds the infant when ever the infant wants. This way, the mother will have more milk production,” Cruz said.
She also stressed the importance of having patience when breastfeeding.
“If young mothers have more patience when nursing their infants, have a better understanding of how their body supplies milk for the infant and how important it is for the infant’s well being, they may come across less problems when breastfeeding,” Cruz said.
Cruz said the biggest issue at the Rota women’s forum was how breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer.
Cruz said if a mother chooses not to breastfeed her infant, the chances of her getting breast cancer at a later age will be higher especially if she comes from a family in which either the mother or grandmother had breast cancer.
The women’s forum on Saipan talked about mothers who could not breastfeed because they have inverted nipples.
Cruz said they informed mothers about the different types of inverted nipples and the correct way of positioning the infant during the feeding.
“Everyone has a different situation so we had to assess then on a ‘one to one’ basis to have a better understanding of the situation and problems,” Cruz said.
Camacho said the WIC Program has certified lactation counselors who are able to help mothers with any problems that may occur during nursing.
