Exclusive Breastfeeding: A must Practice
Posted by Gabriel Blessing | 10 years ago | 984 times
Exclusive Breastfeeding: A must Practice
Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for healthy growth and development of infants. Breast milk is the first natural food for babies as it contains all the energy and nutrients the infants need.
This is why Nigeria last week, between 1st to 7th of August 2014, joined the rest of the world to commemorate World Breastfeeding Week( WBW). WBW is an annual event celebrated internationally by breastfeeding advocates in over 175 countries. It is coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA). This year marks 22 years of commemoration and was themed 'Breastfeeding: A winning goal - for life'. The theme asserted the importance of increasing and sustaining the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding- in the millennium development goal ( especially MDGs 4 and 5).
Taking a look at the impact of exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria, research shows that infants exclusively breastfed show higher developmental skulls as toddlers and higher I.Qs as children more than those who are not fed breast milk. Hence, mothers are advised to establish and sustain exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and it should be initiated within the few hours of life. This is because breastfeeding is not just beneficial to the baby, but also to the mother.
According to medical experts, mothers who breastfeed have little risk of breast cancer, osteoporosis and haemorrhoids. Breastfeeding also helps in uterine shrinkage, decreases depression and above all, a bonding experience for both mother and child.
In addition to the health benefit of breastfeeding on both mother and child, it is also economical as it eliminates dependency on costly breast milk substitute, feeding equipment and preparation. It is also environmental friendly as it is a natural renewable, sustainable resources that requires no fuel for shipping, packaging or disposal.
In spite of the numerous benefits, exclusive breastfeeding( EBF) is yet to be fully implemented by nursing mothers. Some nursing mothers when interviewed, said they don't practice EBF because of time, " I don't do exclusive, because am a student", said a nursing mother. Another said she combines breast milk with baby formula. It is also believed that low rate of EBF in Nigeria maybe due to: Limited time for maternity leave, inadequate sensitisation, traditional beliefs, mothers' desire to prevent sagging of their breast, ignorance etc.
We therefore call on the government to provide timely and adequate Information to enlighten women and debunk some medical beliefs. There should also be restriction on marketing of infant formula. Finally, special consideration should be given to nursing mothers in the civil service and in the private sectors to enable them have sufficient time to breastfeed their babies.
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