Anne Curtis with her baby Dahlia (Image: Instagram/@annecurtissmith)
In celebration of the World Breastfeeding Week, new mom Anne Curtis talked about her breastfeeding journey to raise awareness about its benefits.
This August marks Curtis’ fifth month of breastfeeding her child Dahlia Amelié, as per her Instagram post yesterday, Aug. 6. According to the actress, exclusively feeding her daughter breast milk is not an easy endeavor.
“[It] wasn’t an easy start (everyone has their own journey), but I didn’t give up because I know the benefits of breastmilk for babies,” she said. “I wanted to give my little one the best nutrition I could.”
Feeding babies exclusively with breast milk, or EBF (exclusive breastfeeding), “is the most effective, complete [and] sustainable way of feeding babies from [0 to 6] months,” Curtis explained.
The actress added that continuing to breastfeed one’s child beyond 2 years old while giving them appropriate and clean food starting their 6th month, will help boost their cognitive skills, brain development and immune system.
In the country, the entire month of August is celebrated as Breastfeeding Awareness Month.
Partnering with the Department of Health (DOH) and the humanitarian agency United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines, Curtis highlighted this year’s Breastfeeding Awareness Month theme amid the COVID-19 crisis: “I-BIDA ang Pagpapasuso Tungo sa Wais at Malusog na Pamayanan (Highlight Breastfeeding for a Wise and Healthy Community).”
There are also four key points in this year’s awareness campaign, which spells the word “BIDA.”
“B” stands for “bawal magpasuso nang walang mask kung may sintomas o exposure sa COVID-19.” (No breastfeeding without face mask if you have symptoms or havebeen exposed to COVID-19.)
“Please remember that one cannot get COVID from breastmilk,” Curtis said. “The virus is transmitted through droplets or air. If moms are not sure of their COVID status or they have symptoms or are exposed to COVID, it is a must to wear a mask.”
She also stressed the importance of practicing and maintaining infection prevention and control (IPC) measures at home and in the entire community.
“I” stands for “i-sanitize ang mga kamay bago magpasuso.” (Sanitize your hands before breastfeeding.)
“D” stands for “distansya ng isang metro mula sa iba kung magpapasuso.” (Keep a one-meter distance from others when breastfeeding.)
And “A” stands for “alamin ang mga tamang impormasyon tungkol sa pagpapasuso.” (Know the right information about breastfeeding)
Lastly, the actress made this reminder: “Breastfeeding will also minimize trash, garbage or waste. This will help preserve our healthy environment.”
Dahlia Amelié is Curtis’ first child with her husband, chef vlogger Erwan Heussaff. The actress gave birth to Dahlia in Australia on March 2. /ra
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