Nigerian mothers lag behind in breast feeding campaign

Nigerian mothers have been urged to exclusively breast feed their babies for the first six months after birth. This was emphasised in Lagos on Wednesday, at a seminar organised by UNICEF and the Lagos State ministry of health to commemorate the 2009 world breastfeeding week.

Why breast feeding?

One of the speakers at the seminar, Adejoke Akande, the medical director of Massey Street Children’s clinic, said “until formula feeds (alternative baby feeds) provide protection against infection and facilitate nutrient absorption, they will remain inferior to breast milk.”

She explained that breastfeeding protects the child against diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections, which are major causes of mortality in children under five years of age.

“Diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection are responsible for about 16 and 20 percent of infant mortality respectively. Therefore, breastfeeding will play a major role, if we must reduce infant mortality,” she said.

Ayodele Osifeso, a principal scientific officer with the Lagos state emergency management agency said during crisis, a properly breast-fed baby has a higher chance of survival.

Good breastfeeding practice

Mrs. Akande said breastfeeding should start as early as 60 minutes after birth.

Another speaker, Eugene Okorie, the acting principal of the state school of midwifery, said babies should be breastfed for, at least, eight to 10 times daily, which should be spread throughout the day and night.

“Breastfeeding a baby only during the day is one of the causes of lactation failure (failure of the breast to produce milk),” said Mrs. Okorie.

The Innocent Declaration of the WHO/UNICEF of July 30, 1990 was emphasised as the standard for a good breastfeeding practice. The declaration states that: “...all women should be allowed to practice exclusive breast feeding and all infants should be fed exclusively on breast milk from birth to 4-6 months of age. Thereafter, children should continue to be breastfed while receiving appropriate and adequate complimentary foods, for up to 2 years of age...”

Bad statistics

Statistics from the WHO reveal that Ghana, for the umpteenth time, shows progressive record of good breastfeeding practice while that of Nigeria is regressive. In Nigeria, breastfeeding has dropped from 25 percent since 2003 to 17 percent while in Ghana, it has increased from 25 percent to about 65 percent within the same period.

Way forward

Mrs. Akande condemned the practice of separating the baby from its mother immediately after birth. “Studies have shown that initiating breastfeeding within the first hour after birth could prevent 22 percent of neonatal deaths (infant death with the first 28 days),” she said.

She also called for the extension of maternity leave to six months, “or better still, crèches (baby nursery) should be provided at work so mothers can breastfeed their babies.”

To ensure that babies, whose mothers are indisposed due to emergency or medical reasons, have access to breast milk, Mrs. Okorie called for the establishment of Breast Milk Bank, modelled after the Blood Bank.