…says only 44 per cent infants are exclusively breastfed
Rotimi Olaleye
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF and the World Health Organization, WHO, have urged government at all strata to prioritise breastfeeding support policies and programmes for the survival, growth and development of infants.
In a joint statement by the organisations in Abuja to commemorate the 2022 World Breastfeeding Week, obtained from Punch, said that the theme of the event is ‘Step up for breasfeeding: Educate and Support.’
According to them, infants in the country are denied exclusive breastfeeding at their formative years which has made them to miss out on the benefits of breasfeeding for survival.
They also decried that most babies miss out on the benefits of breastfeeding due to emotional distress, lack of space and privacy and poor sanitation experienced by mothers, which has left them vulnerable to disease and death.
The statement read in part: “Fewer than half of all newborn babies are breastfed in the first hour of life, leaving them more vulnerable to disease and death. And only 44 per cent of infants are exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life, short of the World Health Assembly target of 50 per cent by 2025.
“Protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding is more important than ever, not just for protecting our planet as the ultimate natural, sustainable, first food system, but also for the survival, growth, and development of millions of infants.
“Equip health and nutrition workers in facilities and communities with the skills they need to provide quality counselling and practical support to mothers to successfully breastfeed.
“Protect caregivers and health care workers from the unethical marketing influence of the formula industry by fully adopting and implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes, including in humanitarian settings.
“Implement family-friendly policies that provide mothers with the time, space, and support they need to breastfeed.
“During emergencies, including those in Afghanistan, Yemen, Ukraine, the Horn of Africa, and the Sahel, breastfeeding guarantees a safe, nutritious, and accessible food source for babies and young children. It offers a powerful line of defense against disease and all forms of child malnutrition, including waste.
“In Nigeria, the Exclusive Breastfeeding rate is 29 percent, meaning that over 70 percent of infants in Nigeria are denied the aforementioned benefits of breast milk in their formative years. Only nine percent of organisations have a workplace breastfeeding policy, indicating that mothers lack the enabling environment to optimally breastfeed their babies.
“The results are high stunting rates of 37 percent of children under five, of which 21 perceno are severe, and wasting among children under 5 years of age (7 percent). They continue to present severe consequences for the child.
“Yet the emotional distress, physical exhaustion, lack of space and privacy, and poor sanitation experienced by mothers in emergency settings mean that many babies are missing out on the benefits of breastfeeding to help them survive.”