Health Minister Joe Phaahla has welcomed 1,764 babies who were born on the first day of the new year in health facilities across South Africa.
A total of 1,764 babies were born on the first day of the new year in health facilities across South Africa.
In a statement on Sunday, the Health Department said that it had recorded the births of 894 girls and 870 boys.
“The first baby was a girl who was delivered at 00h00 at Shongwe Hospital, Mpumalanga by a 25-year-old mother,” the statement read.
According to the department, there were more than 65 teenage mothers between the age of 13 and 19-years-old
Meanwhile, Health Minister Joe Phaahla has encouraged new mothers to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months to ensure that their babies get the necessary nutrition and immunisation from birth.
A child`s health is most vulnerable during the first 1,000 days of their lives and the right nutrition during this period can have a profound impact on a child’s ability to develop and learn.
“Babies need only milk feeds for the first six months of life, but milk continues to be an important source of nutrients to children after six months, therefore there is no need to put a time limit on feeds”, the minister said.
Phaahla congratulated all the new parents and wished them and their babies good health.
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