To mark the 2024 World Breastfeeding Week, Nigeria joins the international community in promoting the importance of breastfeeding, with nutrition experts emphasizing the need for mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and initiate skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding within the first hour after delivery.
The experts emphasize that early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding serve as the first immunization for infants and help lower infant mortality rates.
In discussions with Naijatraffic to mark the week, the nutritionists asserted that optimal breastfeeding shields newborns from infections, especially in the neonatal period.
They reiterated that exclusive breastfeeding is crucial for child survival and cognitive development, highlighting that breast milk contains everything a child requires.
This year’s theme is “Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all.”
World Breastfeeding Week, observed in over 120 countries with the support of the World Health Organization and other partners, takes place annually from August 1 to 7.
The objective, as stated by the WHO, is to promote breastfeeding and subsequently enhance the health of infants worldwide.
The United Nations health agency notes that this week offers a chance to raise awareness regarding the significance of exclusive breastfeeding in the initial six months of a child’s life.
According to the National Demographic and Health Survey 2018, Nigeria’s rate of exclusive breastfeeding remains at only 29 percent, in contrast to other West African nations where it exceeds 50 percent.
Former Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, mentioned during the 2022 World Breastfeeding Week that approximately 80,000 child deaths could be prevented each year through optimal breastfeeding practices.
Dr. Ehanire stated that the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding cannot be overstated, emphasizing that it forms the foundation for child survival, health, growth, and development.
In a conversation with our correspondent, Ada Ezeogu, a nutrition specialist with the United Nations Children’s Fund, expressed that women should be encouraged to embrace early initiation of breastfeeding within an hour of birth to safeguard their babies from infections.
Ezeogu remarked that the early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding serve as the first immunization for newborns.
The UNICEF nutrition expert affirmed that every mother who breastfeeds should begin early, pointing out the substantial advantages it offers in diminishing infant mortality rates.
Ezeogu explained, “Early initiation is important because the timing of starting breastfeeding is very critical to child survival.
“Mothers who put their babies to the breasts within the first hour of life ensure that those children are protected from life-threatening consequences.
“The longer babies wait for the first contact with their mothers, the greater they are at risk of death.”
The WHO advises that each newborn should receive breast milk within one hour of birth and consume colostrum.
According to the WHO, human breast milk is the ideal nourishment for all children.
“Optimal breastfeeding includes early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for six months, frequent feeding, continuous breastfeeding for two years, and increasing the frequency of feeding during illness,” the WHO added.
The nutrition expert asserted that early initiation is particularly vital within the first month of life.
“So, early initiation saves lives. The period of early initiation provides effective protection for the newborn child because the first milk, which is colostrum, contains antibodies.
“It has protective elements that guard against illnesses. Therefore, that child is safeguarded. Early action and exclusive breastfeeding deliver the first immunization for babies.
“In Nigeria, early initiation stands at 23 percent. We aim for every child born to be placed at the breast within one hour,” she stated.
Ezeogu identified cultural practices and a lack of awareness as barriers to the early initiation of breastfeeding among mothers.
She urged the media to concentrate their awareness efforts on the first 1,000 days of life and to promote behaviors that would enable families and mothers to utilize this crucial window of opportunity that ensures a strong start for children.
She reiterated that the first 1,000 days present an exceptional opportunity to establish the foundation for healthy growth and development of a child.
Ngozi Nnam, a professor of Community and Public Health Nutrition at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, called on husbands, mothers-in-law, the government, and society at large to support women in exclusively breastfeeding their babies for the first six months.
She reminded mothers that water is not necessary while a child is being exclusively breastfed during the first six months, as 80 percent of breast milk consists of water.
Nnam also urged health workers to assist in educating women about the advantages of breastfeeding while advocating for baby-friendly hospitals and workplaces.
The nutritionist noted that exclusive breastfeeding is a complete nutritional source for infants during the first six months, as breast milk contains all the essential nutrients, bioactive compounds, and anti-infective factors that infants need.
The professor stated, “Human milk contains water, fat, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, some hormones, enzymes, growth factors, essential fatty acids, and immunological factors that play crucial roles for the adequate development and growth of the infant.
“The nutrients found in breast milk are ample in both quantity and quality to facilitate optimal growth and development of infants.”
She pointed out that breast milk’s composition is naturally optimized to meet infants’ nutritional needs, facilitating effortless digestion and absorption.
A 2019 cross-sectional study in the BioMed Central journal discovered that early breastfeeding initiation can lead to a 33% reduction in neonatal mortality.
The researchers concluded that delayed breastfeeding initiation increases neonatal morbidity and mortality, emphasizing that timely initiation substantially decreases the risk of newborn infections.
The researchers said, “Early initiation of breastfeeding has different health benefits like increase ability to defend against infections, reduce the risk of diarrhoea and increase the survival rate of children. Neonatal mortality can be prevented by 33 per cent if early initiation of breastfeeding is practiced by mothers.
“Colostrum is the first milk that is very important for newborns in protection against infections. Since the first milk is rich in immunoglobin G, colostrum has a great role in disease resistance.
“Many articles reveal that bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoa infection of the newborn baby can be reduced by feeding colostrum. According to different studies, children who didn’t feed colostrum were more likely to develop many infections, stunting, underweight, and wasting.”
