Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, has encouraged nursing mothers to feel comfortable breastfeeding their infants in public.
She advised mothers to consider using breast covers for added privacy while doing so.
Ogunyemi underscored that breastfeeding is the simplest and most economical method of feeding babies, noting that it helps safeguard family finances and fosters a nurturing environment.
She made these comments during a press conference on Tuesday regarding the upcoming 2024 World Breastfeeding Week and the Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health plus Newborn Week.
World Breastfeeding Week takes place annually from August 1 to 7, aiming to raise awareness and promote the significance of breastfeeding.
This initiative, as noted by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, honors the 1990 Innocenti Declaration.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) advocate for babies to begin breastfeeding within the first hour of life and to be exclusively breastfed for the first six months.
According to the WHO, breastfeeding supplies all the energy and nutrients that infants require in their initial months and plays a crucial role in ensuring optimal growth and development, which increases their chances of survival.
The organization reported that approximately half of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed.
Further elaborating, Ogunyemi pointed out that breast milk, especially colostrum—the first milk produced following delivery—provides vital protection against life-threatening childhood illnesses.
“Breastfeeding practice also preserves the environment and conserves financial resources for the family and the society. Breastfeeding practice makes the world a more secure place, as studies have shown that breastfed babies exhibit appropriate behaviour during adulthood,” she said.
Continuing, the special adviser stated, “Lagos State will be joining other states of the Federation and FCT to commemorate the 2024 World Breastfeeding Week by holding a ground-breaking breastfeeding campaign, where over 36,000 women will be mobilized to breastfeed their children at midday across the country during the week. The theme for 2024 World Breastfeeding Week is ‘Closing the Gap, Breastfeeding Support for All.’
“This theme speaks to every support needed by a lactating mother to encourage her to adequately breastfeed her baby. This support must be given by every stakeholder, the baby’s father, grandmother, religious and community leaders, employers, colleagues, friends, etc.
“The objectives of 2024 World Breastfeeding Week are the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding from the first six months of life, shift harmful norms and practices, combat social stigma, and support the growth and development of babies through the commission of critical nutrients.”
Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi stated that to enhance health outcomes for expectant and nursing mothers in Lagos, the state has implemented various initiatives, including ongoing training for healthcare providers, complimentary antenatal and postnatal care and delivery services for pregnant women, and enhanced nutrition education through food demonstration classes for nursing mothers to prevent malnutrition in both mothers and children.
Additionally, she emphasized the convenience of breastfeeding and advocated for designated private areas for nursing mothers in public spaces, promoting a supportive environment for breastfeeding.
“Breastfeeding is the most convenient, even if you’re out there in public. It doesn’t need a temperature check, it doesn’t need hot water, and for you to be shaking a bottle. It’s the quickest and the easiest. The bonding between mothers and their babies during breastfeeding is one thing we have not talked about because mothers don’t realise that they bond well with their babies when they breastfeed. The baby is looking at them and there is a psychological impact on breastfeeding as well. So, we’re trying to encourage that.
“Also, about the economic value, you’re not spending more money on a formula that you have to read and ensure you have the exact amount and that some babies may even be allergic to. If you go to the market, there are several types of formulas, there are even those for babies that are allergic to a particular food. There is no change in the breast milk, there is nothing at all. That is why this is a big deal,” she stated.
Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser, stressed the importance of designating breastfeeding rooms in public areas for nursing mothers.
She also advised busy mothers to learn proper breastmilk expression and storage techniques to maintain exclusive breastfeeding for their babies.
Meanwhile, Dr. Folashade Oludara, Director of Family Health and Nutrition, Lagos State Ministry of Health, encouraged nursing mothers to use breast covers while breastfeeding in public and urged employers to provide private spaces for lactating employees to support their breastfeeding needs.
“A lactating mother requires the support of everybody; the community, the father, the religious leaders, and all that. We are supposed to encourage churches to have places where lactating mothers can breastfeed their babies,” Oludara highlighted.
Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, Permanent Secretary, highlighted the universal need for breastfeeding among newborns, stressing that the current economic climate should incentivize breastfeeding as a cost-free and nutritionally comprehensive option.
He appealed to all individuals to promote and support nursing mothers in their efforts to consistently breastfeed their babies, recognizing the numerous benefits it provides.
