Ms Vera Boakye, the Nutritionist at the Tema General Hospital, says practicing personal hygiene as a lactating mother is essential in keeping the baby happy and healthy. 'It is important to also use disposable nursing pads to soak breastmilk drippling into the brassier, which could be breeding grounds for germs and bacteria causing infections and diseases for the baby,' she said. Ms Boakye said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in commemoration of the World Breastfeeding Week, being celebrated on the theme: 'Closing the Gap, Breastfeeding Support for All.' She said personal hygiene went beyond bathing twice a day to the continuous washing of hands and nipple surroundings, as well as regular changing and washing of braziers and drying them under the sun. Bacteria from dirty hands, a dirty brazier filled with sweat and drops of breastmilk could affect the immune system of the baby and cause diarrhoea, she noted. Ms. Boakye said feeding equipment for babies must also be well washed and k ept neatly, stressing the reduction of the use of feeding bottles because some babies became very comfortable with the feeding bottle and neglected the breast. She suggested the use of a cup and spoon in feeding the baby, whether with breastmilk or with water, after the six-month exclusive breastfeeding period. 'This is because food particles could remain in the bottles and be used to feed the baby again, introducing bacteria into their bodies.' Source: Ghana News Agency