Exclusive Breastfeeding: Much Work To Be Done

It is important to point out that significant strides have been made in the past two decades in Nigeria to increase exclusive breastfeeding. Still, it is also important to note that a lot more is needed to be done to ensure that it firmed up as an effective means of ensuring a healthy feeding for the child in their early days.

 The World Breastfeeding Week with the theme, “Let’s make breastfeeding at work, work,” is a yearly global campaign that aims to increase awareness of the health and well-being outcomes of breastfeeding on infants, young children, mothers, families, and society at large.

 Although the rate of Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) for the past two decades have been increasing, it is still a long road to achieving the 100 per cent global target coverage recommended by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

 A joint statement by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), estimated that about 48 per cent of infants were exclusively breastfed globally last year, 2022 and expected to rise to 50 per cent by 2025, and 70 per cent of SDGs goals by 2030.

 Globally, of 56 million infants, approximately 22 million were exclusively breastfed, while over 34 million children were not.

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 While commemorating the day, the federal government said only 29 per cent of infants under age six months are exclusively breastfed, while only 42 per cent are put to breast within the first hour of birth,  despite WHO recommendations and benefits of EBF, worldwide.

Only 7 out of 36 states in the country provide six months fully paid maternity leave, whereas, women make up to 20 million out of the 46 million workforce in Nigeria.

 Ninety five  per cent of these women  are within the informal sector, while the formal sector only employs 5 per cent.

Shockingly, in our opinion,only nine per cent of organizations have a workplace breastfeeding policy, with only 1.5 per cent in the public sector. Women in the informal sector have nearly no support for breastfeeding, says a statement by UNICEF

The World Health Organization (WHO), defined Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) as the situation in which an infant receives only breast milk from his/her mother or a wet nurse for the first six months and no other solids or liquids with the exception of drops or syrups consisting of vitamins, minerals.

 Mothers are categorized as practising Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice if they exclusively breastfeed their child for six months, but if they exclusively breastfeed for less than six months, they are categorized as they don’t practice exclusive breastfeeding.

Health experts posit that adequate nutrition during early childhood ensures growth and development of children and breast milk is better than any other products given to a child.

 Breastmilk is not just a super-food and vaccine, it is also a smart investment. Global analysis reveals that elevating rates of exclusive breastfeeding could save the lives of an astounding 820,000 children under the age of five annually, generating an additional income of US $302 billion.

 It is imperative to highlight the significance of breastfeeding for the health and well-being of children, mothers, and society at large.

 Breastmilk is the first vaccine and the first food that every child receives at birth. Breastfeeding stands as a crucial pillar in safeguarding infants against life-threatening infections, supporting optimal brain development in children, and reducing the incidence of chronic childhood and maternal illnesses, ultimately lowering healthcare costs.

 A statement by  UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, Cristian Munduate, during the World Breastfeeding Week, noted that in  Nigeria, improved breastfeeding practices could save over 100,000 children’s lives each year, save US$22 million in health care treatment costs related to inadequate breastfeeding, and generate an additional US$21 billion for the economy over children’s productive years by increasing cognitive capacity and preventing premature mortality in the early years.

 There is evidence today that every 1000 Naira invested in supporting breastfeeding can yield an estimated 35,000 Naira in economic returns for Nigeria.

 The low prevalence of EBF in most developing countries, including Nigeria, is attributed to various maternal and child-related factors such as place of residence, sex, age of the child, number of births and space between children, mothers working outside home, maternal age and educational level.

Other factors are;  economic status, mothers’ domestic work burden, access to mass media, maternal healthcare access and use, and maternal knowledge on infant and young child feeding practices .

 Exclusive breastfeeding is challenged by lack of knowledge and different sociocultural beliefs; the incorrect beliefs that breastfeeding mothers are unable to produce enough milk to exclusively breastfeed their child for the first 6 months of life and that society believes that breastfeeding mothers look older than their age.

 The other barriers include, societal or peer pressure to bottle feed their child.

 For us as a newspaper, however,  to reach the global 2030 target of 70 percent, the barriers women and families face to achieve their breastfeeding goals must be addressed.

 The UNICEF country representative in Nigeria called on all tiers of governments and employers to take decisive actions to ensure a supportive breastfeeding environment for all working mothers, including those in the formal and informal sector.

 This newspaper is of the opinion that support from  workplaces and  husbands are crucial to improving  exclusive breastfeeding practice because mothers who did not get support from their husbands were less likely to exclusively breastfeed their children than those who got the much needed  support

We therefore  solicit for greater breastfeeding support across all workplaces to sustain and improve progress on breastfeeding rates in the country.

 In the words of UNICEF,  let us collectively work towards a future where breastfeeding is supported and embraced by all, resulting in healthier generations and a thriving Nigerian workforce.

Let’s make breastfeeding at work, work!