GOOD news for mums with sick babies at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
They can finally breathe a sigh from relief as they no longer have to worry about waiting on corridors and pumping breast milk for their babies in public spaces while visiting their babies before visiting hours at the hospital.
This comes after Ronald McDonald’s House Charities (RMHC) together with McDonald’s South Africa unveiled a new lactation centre and two refurbished family rooms at the hospital in Soweto on Thursday, 29 February.
Inside the centre that can accommodate more than 40 people, the mums will be provided with comfortable seats as well as a breast pump for the duration of their lactation session.
Rodney Jordan, Global chief operating officer of RMHC global, told Daily Sun that the organisation aims to improve the health and wellbeing of sick children who are being treated at hospitals by providing support and a resting place to their families that allows them to stay close to them.
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Mc Donalds South Africa CEO Greg Solomon said that they chose the month of February to spread love.
“This lactation room is the first in the world. When we started building relationships with mothers, we realised that we could give them care and hope. Most importantly we found that when they express milk to give to their babies, it was a very manual process and not as hygienic as it should be," he said.
Solomon said with the facility, mothers can express milk in a hygienic space with proper equipment such as breast pumps and labelling it and putting it in the fridge to make sure that the best milk is given to their babies.
Paediatrics head of department Sthembiso Velaphi told Daily Sun that this initiative means everything to the facility because breast milk is the best nutrition for the babies as it provides all the nutrients the babies require.
“This lactation facility will have big impact in terms of all babies accessing breast milk which will reduce infection and improve their development and the rooms will allow mothers a space to sit while they wait before visiting their babies,” Velaphi said.
Bara’s CEO Dr Percy Selepe thanked the sponsors for a great initiative.
"It's an honour for the neonatal unit to partner with the organisation in ensuring that we deliver such a facility.
