August 05, 2013
Reminder needed baby the rangatira
A Māori health researcher says Māori women should take a warning from the Fonterra scandal about the danger of relying on infant formula.
The dairy giant is trying to deal with the fall-out from a batch of botulism-tainted whey powder, some of which has gone into infant formula.
Marewa Glover says dairy companies around the world have been marketing their products as superior to breast milk, even though health experts say the opposite.
She says Māori women have some of the lowest rates of breast-feeding, which may reflect the influence of the early Plunket system which promoted feeding at fixed times.
"What we need to do is get back to reinstituting our ways, he pēpē he rangatira, the baby is the chief, have the baby as central to the whānau, listen to your baby, it will tell you when it is hungry or if there is something wrong, and just responding to pēpē," Dr Glover says.
Marewa Glover says reliance on infant formula may be a factor in high obesity rates.
Whaangai ki te waiū
Pēnā whakawhirinaka atu ngā wāhine Māori ki te paura miraka, mē mōhio rātou ki ngā whakatūpato ō taua huarahi whāngai pēpē.
Koia te tohutohu ā Tākuta Marewa Glover kairangahau hauora, mē te kī, kua roa ngā kamupene mahi miraka, e whakatairanga ana i ā rātou taputapu miraka, ahakoa te kupu ā ngā kairangahau, he pai ake te waiū e ahu mai ai i te uma ō te māmā.
Ki ngā kōrero rangahau, kua heke mārika te maha ō ngā whaea Māori e whāngatia ai ā rātou pēpē ki te waiū, kua huri te nuinga ki te paura miraka.
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