Super Babies & Super Parents at B.F.L.A.
A group of proud parents received gifts today for ensuring that their newborns receive the necessary vaccines in the first years of their lives. Dubbed as supers, the mums and dads as well as the babies were honoured at a health centre on Central American Boulevard for ensuring that the babies grow healthy and are protected from diseases. Here is News Five’s Duane Moody with a report.
Duane Moody, Reporting
The Belize Family Life Association/Maternal & Child Health Centre at the corner of Central American Boulevard and Mahogany Street was the venue for a ceremony to recognize mothers and fathers, as well as their babies for having met most and in some cases, all pre and post-natal clinic appointments at the medical facility. Thirty parents and their babies were invited of which twelve will be awarded. Chima Odiete is the Maternal and Child Health Nurse.
Chima Odiete
Chima Odiete, Maternal & Child Health Nurse
“We want to use this special day to recognize them to tell them how much we appreciate them and how much we want to encourage them to keep on doing what they are doing. We love them and we want to tell them Happy Valentine’s Day and that’s why we chose them especially today and get their babies named as the super babies.”
There are a number of vaccines that babies receive, from birth up to four years, which assist with their development and make them impervious to certain illness.
Cristobel Diego
Cristobel Diego, Nurse in Charge, MCH/B.F.L.A.
“Vaccination is one of the key thing. Your health and everything comes along with it—prenatal and postnatal—and once you were a mother who had passed all the criteria to be here today. One of the criteria is that from your pregnancy you must come to clinic very early. You come to us and went right through with all your visits; made sure you did all your appointments with the gynaecologist, all your appointments with high risk if you needed to; all your appointments at Karl Heusner, a normal deliver or a C-section and corm for postnatal clinic.”
Chima Odiete
“It’s very challenging to us because we know the important of the babies having their vaccination. We have vaccinations from birth, which is the BCG; we have the one for two months, four months, six months, seven months, one year, one year six months and up to four years. But we always give them appointments to come in.”
The super baby honoured today was Ofelie Brown; interestingly her dad, Orlando, was also selected as the super dad for the event. Orlando says that along with his wife, they never missed an appointment and were the early birds of the bunch.
Orlando Brown
Orlando Brown, Super Dad
“It’s an awesome feeling. I always tell my wife, from the moment she was pregnant and coming to the clinic, they have taken excellent care of both her and when the baby was born. So even though I am the super dad and she is the super baby, we have to thank the super nurses as well, cause they did an excellent job.”
Duane Moody
“A lot of people and I was talking to these professionals and they are saying that a lot of people don’t understand the importance of prenatal and postnatal care. Talk to us about how that was. Was it challenging for you to make sure that you make the appointments?”
Orlando Brown
“Well my wife, she don’t like wake up early so I would normally get up like five o’clock and come to the clinic; the security can tell you, we are always number one or number two cause we always come early and always on time and we always make our appointments.”
All the parents and babies walked away with prizes and certificates. Duane Moody for News Five.
