 Hello, welcome back to Why In The Morning. You have been watching us so far and I know that we had a nice little short intro before but that's because we've got wonderful stuff planned for you guys. And right now, this particular segment is for the health segment. It's called Health On Monday and it's with me, Joy Mochache. And you can find me and talk to me on specific platforms that's Joy Anderson Mochache. But if you would like to interact concerning this health segment and ask some questions because the topic for today is very interesting, especially if you're a lady or even if you're married or you're about to have a child, for example. Please interact with us going by hashtag Why In The Morning and hashtag Help On Monday and then go to our social media platforms, that's on Twitter and Facebook, Y254Channel and then on Instagram, Y254UnderscoreChannel and then ask whatever you'd like to ask or comment whatever you'd like to comment. And right now, I've got a wonderful nutritionist who's inside with us today and not only that he is well-versed in certain area that we're going to be discussing, but before I introduce him, I'd like to introduce the topic. Now as we had mentioned in the introduction before, I had said that in the next couple of days, we're going to be studying the month of August. And the month of August from the 1st of August to the 7th of August is going to be Breast Feeding Awareness Week, where we focus on bringing awareness and advocacy when it comes to breastfeeding and also assisting mothers who have difficulty in that area. And so that's why we found this a perfect moment to be discussing breast nutrition, child nutrition and mother nutrition. Sokari Bunisana, help me welcome my guest, Mr. Nahashon. Please tell us where you're working and also let us know exactly what you'd like us to refer you as. Thank you, Joy. Yes. My name is Mochukana Hashon, my baby. I'm a nutritionist. Nutritionist. I work in the Ministry of Health based in M County. Okay. And I'm very pleased to be with you today. Okay. To discuss this issue of breastfeeding. Yes. You know, we have so many mothers who actually don't know even how to breastfeed or they don't know the importance of this breastfeeding. We have also potential mothers who are coming and they would like to know the importance of breastfeeding and what are the difficulties and what they need about breastfeeding. I see. I see. And maybe before we can start, how long have you been working in this particular field so that our people know that they're in good hands? So that our people know that whatever information that they're getting today is great information coming from someone who knows exactly what he's saying. Okay. I've been working for around eight years. Eight years. I started working in 2011. 2011. Wow. Yes. Wow. Wow. So I know you're well-versed in this area. Yes. Okay. And before we start, what exactly does a nutritionist tend to cover? What areas do you tend to focus on on a day-to-day basis? On a day-to-day basis as a nutritionist, what we do in the hospital first is the clean care management. Okay. Clean care management is where you manage the conditions in relation to the food that you are supposed to eat. Okay. For example, we have conditions like diabetes, we have conditions like we have liver conditions, all that we we manage them. We in collaboration with the doctors as they manage the medical part, we do the nutrition part of it. As they manage the medical part, you manage the nutritional part of it. Yes, but you work as a team. You work as a team. You can't work alone. So it is that important. Yes. All right. I understand. And you know, when it comes to nutrition and breastfeeding, I'm thinking there's a link. Yes. There must be a link. Yes. What is the link between breastfeeding and nutrition? Let's start there. Okay. Breastfeeding, first of all, is the nutrition of the infant. Okay. Because if you look at how I can put it like this, breast milk, it's actually the food for the baby. Yes. And it is the ideal food that is provides growth and development for the infants. And that's why we have a policy in my wife's hand, the maternal infant nutrition that actually recommends that all children above, below six months, he should be breastfed exclusively. What do I mean by exclusive breastfeeding? Exclusive breastfeeding, this is where you feed the baby on breast milk alone without giving water, without giving any food, unless it is a drug that has been recommended by a practitioner. Right. And this breastfeeding alone without any water, without anything else, no juices, no this famous Uji and all the things we like to say and nutrition, nutrition is nutrition, nutrition is excuse me. Is there a period of time in which you have to do this? Come again. The period of time in which the mother has to do this, where she does exclusive breastfeeding. What is the period of time where she has to do exclusive breastfeeding? Before she introduces maybe things like water. Exclusive breastfeeding should be done from the day of birth until the baby reaches six months. Six months. Yes. Okay. I see. And you know those are interesting, as I was doing my research yesterday, is an interesting incident I came across where a man was talking about his mother being able to tell the difference between the children, there six of them, there's six children, three boys, actually all of them are boys, but three boys have been breastfed and the other three boys were not breastfed. Yes. But the mother can tell the difference, now that they're all grown up, this mother can tell the difference in all of them. The ones who have been breastfed and the ones who have been not breastfed. So what are some of the differences when it comes to, now that we've seen the importance of breastfeeding in the period of time, what are some of the differences that happens when children are not breastfed and when children are breastfed? Yes. You see that difference. A keen mother will definitely see the difference between those children whom she has breastfed, those who are not breastfed because breastfeeding itself, the milk, provide the growth and development for these young ones. And by that, by doing that, they prevent stunting and stunting is where your height does not match with the age. So definitely by the time the child grows, you'll be able to tell this child is not to the normal height. I see. It's simple because the child did not interest field exclusively for six months, that's one. Also, the research has shown that those infants who have been exclusively breastfed, they actually have IIQ than those who are not breastfed. That means that the performance in school is different. So some of the signs of telling those children who are exclusive to breastfed are not exclusive to breastfed. Yes, I see. And so it's as if this was just, it was something that was planned to be the way, okay, I know that some of our viewers are not believers, not everyone is a creationist, some people are evolutionists, but if you're creationist and you do believe that God created this wonderful, wonderful mechanism between mother and child, this wonderful way to create a bond and a connection. And first of all, people like to say, oh, you know, then that bond is also in the umbilical cord, you know, because the child is being bonded through the umbilical cord, even though it's cut, that means, you know, that bond between the mother and the child never dies. And that's why child is always stronger with the mother. This could also be true, but I also believe that there's a bond between breastfeeding. I don't know if I'm right or wrong, and maybe if you can give some expertise and shed some light about that. Yeah, the more you breastfeed your child, the more you create that bond. This is the time that you come together with your child. You have that love, the relationship when you're breastfeeding. That's why when you're breastfeeding, the child is just near your tummy, tummy to tummy. You are creating that bond. On your breastfeeding, you are creating that bond. When you're sleeping closer to the baby, during the night, you are creating that bond between you and that child. And then you feel that bond will not disappear even when that child grows. So you find that child is near the mother. Always. That's true. And now that we've talked about the basics of breastfeeding, I want us to jump into the nutrition of breastfeeding, and then we'll jump into the awareness of breastfeeding week. So when it comes to nutrition of breastfeeding, what are some of the things mothers can eat to, how can I say, assist in the production of lactation and the production of breast milk? Yes. Definitely, if the mother does not feed well, the production of milk will go down. And they are supposed to feed extra milk, compared to the non-mothers. Where we have, like for example, a mother will feed, the non-mother will feed three meals plus extra snacks. But this lactating mother will feed three meals plus another two meals and two snacks. This is to provide enough nutrient for the mother to be able to produce more milk. In addition to that, we have 3D foods. So they should take food foods and also warm food so that they can enhance production of milk. However, these are how the breastfeeding works. People can give a bit of anatomy of a breast, so that you can be able to understand. I wish we actually even had one of those boards with the anatomy of the breast, but for them we don't. But now we can hear it from you. Yes. When you look at the breast, we have the nipple. Yes. And around the nipple we have a blackish thing, which is called a liora. Ariola. Yes. Beneath that one, we have what we have, a gland that produces oil for it, that musterlizes that breast, that keeps that breast musterlized. Yes. Yes. Inside the breast we have what we call a pheolei. These are small sacs. Yes. Wow. Actually, there are millions of them in the breast. Wow. And they are made of milk secreting cells. Okay. And then around those are pheolei, we have what we call muscle cells. These muscle cells are the ones that will squeeze out the milk from these sacs. We do have a small duct also that stores the milk in between the milk, and we have lunch ducts that direct to let the milk flow out. But now we have two hormones that are involved in this process of breastfeeding, and this is prolactin and oxytocin. And that's why you provide most of health workers with that. Prolactin and oxytocin. Yes. That's why you provide most of health workers telling the mothers, the milk does not come from the breast. The milk comes from the brain. Why? Because prolactin, it is produced from the brain. When the baby sacs goes there, the breast, the nebo, essentially impasses, sent to the lower part of the brain at the bituitary gland, and then it senses and produces prolactin. Then prolactin moves down through the blood to the breast, and it stimulates the milk secreting cells, the one that we have said here in the air pheolei to produce what? Milk. Right. Now the milk has been produced. We have now the other hormone that you are calling oxytocin. This hormone is the one that will let the milk flow out. The same process will happen. When the baby sacs, the signal is sent to the lower part of the brain, that is the bituitary gland. Then the oxytocin is produced, down the blood to the breast, and now it comes now to the muscle cells, and it helps now in the flowing of the milk. Here comes now when you hear a mother saying that you know what? I can't produce what? Milk. It is not that mother cannot produce milk. It is because that process now, the bituitary is not done what? It's not produced. We have talked to prolactin. Prolactin can stay in the breast for about that a minute after breastfeeding. Now this one will end up with the breast to make the milk for the next feed. I see. So that's what enables the milk for the next feed, and this sounds like it's a whole process that must happen, which means that not only is it, is this milk important for the child, that there are ways that this milk can actually protect reducing infections in the child. Yes. May you please touch on that because I'm unbaffled as to how that may work. Okay. When the baby sacs the mother, gets the milk, actually the first milk of the mother, the colostrum. That's the first milk. It is a yellowish thick clear food. When the baby sacs that milk in the first few days after birth, this milk helps the baby in very many ways. One, it has antibodies and white blood cells. This may help in protection against any infection that may come, especially the allergies and intolerance of androsodyspirectoly. This is our infections for the baby. Then we have, it has a growth factor. It ensures that the intestine of this young one, they do what they mature, because remember they are not mature. I see. Then it is rich in vitamin A, and vitamin A helps in our end in reducing the severity of any infection that the baby may come. That's why now it is said that actually colostrum is the first immunization that is given to the baby by the mother. To prevent any infection that may come later. I see. That's wonderful information. And you know, everything that you've said is all that we wanted to discuss and cover, particularly when it comes to breastfeeding, the nutrition part of it, and also the importance of it and how it protects the child. There is, however, a need to also cover breast awareness week. And I should be giving a little bit of information and maybe I can ask a little bit of questions pertaining to what we can do when it comes to Kenya and improving some of the systems we have put in place for mothers who are breastfeeding.