The Philippines adopts rooming-in as a national policy to encourage, protect, and support the practice of breast-feeding. A joint WHO/UNICEF statement emphasizes that rooming-in has a number of important advantages over separating infants from their mothers.

Rooming-in is the practice of confining the newborn in the same room as the mother, right after delivery until the time of discharge to facilitate mother-infant bonding and to initiate breast-feeding. The newborn may either share the mother's bed or be placed in a crib beside the mother.

Our Legislators believe that breast-feeding has distinct advantages that will benefit the infant and the mother, as well as health care facilities like hospitals and maternity clinics, and ultimately the country as a whole. Republic Act (RA) 7600 known as "The Rooming-In and Breast-feeding Act of 1992" was thus approved by Congress as early as June 2, 1992.

Rooming-in promotes mother-child bonding and facilitates breast-feeding as the newborn demands it. Breast milk is the best food for the newborn since it contains the essential nutrients in the exact amounts and right combination that the baby needs.

The initial liquid that flows from the human breast is colostrum, the yellow fluid produced during the first three days after delivery. It is rich in vitamins, antibodies, and immune-system cells that protect the newborn from gastrointestinal disease and other infectious disorder.

The colostrum hastens the excretion of meconium, the stool passed by newborn after birth. The colostrum contains Lactobacillus bifidus factor, which encourages the growth of Lactobacillus bifidus, the intestinal friendly bacteria, that hinders the growth of potentially toxic bacteria in the intestine.

The human milk is thin and almost watery in appearance and often has a slight bluish tinge. The breast milk protein forms soft, light curd in the infant's stomach and is easy to digest.

The lipids in breast milk are high in linoleic acid and cholesterol needed for brain development. It contains long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), used for synthesis of tissue in the brain, nervous system, and eyes.

WHO/UNICEF say that under normal conditions, the baby's natural energy and water reserves are sufficient to sustain the newborn for the first few days of life while lactation is being fully established. The Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) recommends to - Breastfeed infants exclusively from birth to 6 months, and then, give appropriate foods while continuing breastfeeding.

The nutritional and fluid requirements of the infant are completely satisfied by breast milk, thus rendering bottle and teat of water, sugar solution, and fruit juices unnecessary on nutritional grounds. The practice also increases risk to infection and may reduce the sucking capacity of the infant.
Mothers can be confident that breast milk is adequate when:

	The baby is satisfied after 15 to 20 minutes of feeding and normally falls asleep after feeding;
	The newborn wets at least six diapers with pale yellow urine per day;
	The baby gains weight from month to month, the birth weight of the baby doubles after six months, and triples after one year.

For more information you may write or call: Director Corazon VC. Barba, FNRI Building, DOST Compound, Bicutan, Taguig, Metro Manila; email cvcb@fnri.dost.gov.ph; or call (02) 837-2934 or (02) 837-3164; or visit our website at http://ww.fnri.dost.gov.ph.