Wife of the Bayelsa State governor, Dr. Gloria Diri, at the weekend led female journalists in the state on a road walk to charge women on exclusive breastfeeding of their children in the first six months of infancy for healthy growth.
Dr. Diri, who took the two-kilometer walk on the streets of Yenagoa and engaged in a talk after the walk organised by the Bayelsa State Ministry of Health and Primary Healthcare Board in collaboration with Unicef to commemorate this year’s World Breastfeeding Week themed ‘’ Step Up for Breastfeeding: Educate and Support”, said exclusive breastfeeding gives a powerful line of defence against likely diseases and other forms of malnutrition in children.
She added that breastfeeding acts as first vaccine for babies, protecting them from common childhood sicknesses.
The director, community and family health services, Bayelsa State Primary Health Care Board, Mrs. Masa Happiness, recommended that mothers should engage in continuous breastfeeding from the first six months of life to two years or beyond for strong growth.
Also speaking, the chairperson, Nigerian Association of Women Journalists, Bayelsa State chapter, Mrs. Maria Olodi-Osumah, said though breastfeeding babies is not an easy task, for optimal growth and development of babies, all mothers should practice it.
The road walk took off from Ekeki Motor Park and terminated at the Bayelsa state secretariat complex in Yenagoa.
