The Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) has encouraged lactating mothers to consume cocoa products, to boost their production of breast milk for their babies.
Mr Maxwell Kwabena Boagye, the Deputy Marketing Manager for Confectionary, said cocoa contained all the needed nutrients to aid breastfeeding.
Mr Boagye said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the CPC presented its All Time Drinking Chocolate Products to nursing mothers at the Mamobi General Hospital in the Greater Accra Region, to commemorate the World Breastfeeding Week.
He said exclusive breastfeeding promotes optimal infant health and reduces infant mortality.
He said All Time Drinking was a nutritious and healthy beverage that enhanced the health of babies through their mother’s breastmilk.
‘We acknowledge the challenges mothers faced, especially working mothers, in producing enough breast milk. Our All Time Drinking Chocolate is here to help,’ he said.
Ms Failatu Iddrisu, a midwife in charge of the Maternity Unit at Mamobi Gen
eral Hospital, emphasised the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, citing benefits such as optimal growth, immunity, and protection from diseases.
Ms Iddrisu advised mothers to breastfeed their babies on demand, without adding water, medicine, or any other substances, for the first six months.
She cautioned that formula feeding could lead to diseases, such as diarrhoea and diabetes, later in life due to improper mixing or overfeeding.
She recommended consuming foods that promote lactation, including chocolate drinks, to help mothers gain strength and energy.
Source : Ghana News Agency