Abuja, 11 Abuja, 2022 – In February 2022, Mariam Udeh, 26 years outdated, residing in Garki, Abuja, gave delivery to her first baby and was in uncharted territory. As a brand new mom, she agreed along with her husband to solely breastfeed their child for six months. 

“He’s our firstborn, and I’ve heard that unique breastfeeding is nice for the child, however I knew it wasn’t going to be a straightforward job. For us to realize the aim, I made a decision to assist my spouse every time she wants assist caring for the child. I assist her mentally, emotionally and bodily as a result of breastfeeding will be tedious,” stated 30 years outdated Mr Udeh Ifeanyi, a technician. 

In accordance with him, his spouse and son haven’t been ailing, and his spouse doesn’t complain of tiredness as a result of he’s all the time accessible to assist. 

“It could be good if males assist their wives throughout and after being pregnant as a result of they want the emotional and bodily stamina to encourage them to breastfeed in order that we will have more healthy youngsters, he added. 

The World Well being Group (WHO) recommends unique breastfeeding for the primary six months of life, beginning inside an hour of delivery.

In accordance with WHO, unique breastfeeding – with out every other meals – for the primary six months promotes sensory and cognitive growth and protects infants towards infectious and continual ailments. But, insurance policies that assist breastfeeding are usually not accessible to most moms worldwide. 

“We train that early and unique breastfeeding is nice for the child, and it must be supported by healthcare services, healthcare staff, governments and households”, stated Margaret Bawa, a retired midwife with 38 years of working expertise, volunteering on the Kuchingoro Main Well being Care Centre (PHC), Abuja. 

She stated most moms blame lack of household or societal assist as the reason why they don’t solely breastfeed their infants for six months. 

“We emphasize the significance of breast milk to moms throughout ante and post-natal care and advise them to apply unique breastfeeding however their well being situations after delivery. However in instances the place they can not breastfeed instantly, we encourage them to feed the infants with breast milk expression.

“A assist system will help a lady apply unique breastfeeding as it is going to make sure that the brand new mom is just not struggling, really feel remoted, and desires assist. We additionally advise the lads who comply with their wives to ante-natal to help their wives at residence to allow them to have extra time for breastfeeding and relaxation”, she stated. 

In accordance with the WHO, as much as 800,000 lives might be saved yearly by way of six months of unique breastfeeding and continued breastfeeding with applicable complementary feeding for as much as two years or longer.

Nonetheless, statistics from the Nationwide Demographic and Well being Survey 2018 point out that Nigeria’s breastfeeding indices are nonetheless under optimum.

Globally, the speed of unique breastfeeding for infants below six months of age is 40%, whereas its 28.7% in Nigeria. 

To mark the 2022 World Breastfeeding Week, a joint assertion by UNICEF Government Director Catherine Russell and WHO Director-Basic Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus referred to as on governments, donors, civil society and the personal sector to step up efforts to:

• prioritize investing in breastfeeding assist insurance policies and programmes, particularly in fragile and meals insecure contexts;
• equip well being and diet staff in services and communities with the talents they should present high quality counselling and sensible assist to moms to efficiently breastfeed;  
• defend caregivers and healthcare staff from the unethical advertising affect of the components trade by absolutely adopting and implementing the Worldwide Code of Advertising and marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes, together with in humanitarian settings; and 
• implement family-friendly insurance policies that present moms with the time, house and assist they should breastfeed.

This 12 months’s theme, World Breastfeeding Week, below its theme Step up for breastfeeding: Educate and Assist, seeks to contain governments, communities and people who can strengthen the capability of those who have to guard, promote and assist breastfeeding throughout totally different ranges of society. 

The one-week-long consciousness days is widely known from 01 to 07 August, as breastfeeding is essential to reaching the quantity 2 Sustainable Growth Objectives (SDG) of enhancing diet, making certain meals safety and ending starvation.  

Technical Contact:


Dr Msyamboza Kelias; E mail: msyambozak [at] who.int