Experts have called on the Federal Government and other employers of labour to implement six months maternity leave and make the workplace conducive to enable mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding for their babies.
The experts, in separate interviews in Ibadan, decried the low exclusive breastfeeding rate put at 29 per cent in Nigeria.
The President, Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine, Dr Olukemi Tongo, said the theme for 2022 Breastfeeding Week: ‘Step Up For Breastfeeding, Educate and Support’ was apt.
Tongo said the low exclusive rate put at 29 per cent in Nigeria was not acceptable, hence the need to increase support for mothers.
“And, we need mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life for all the benefits accrued from breastfeeding; the babies growth, good development, emotional development, immunity to fight infections.
“Such that in the future they will have lower disease chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, allergies and all that. Aside that the cognitive development of baby is superb with breast milk.
“Even when they start complementary food after six months, they should continue with breastfeeding for up to two years,” she said.
Tongo, who is also a Consultant Paediatrician Neonatologist University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, said cost of exclusive breastfeeding is low compared to formula food.
“If there is a creche in the place of work or attached to the place of work or a breastfeeding place at a place of work, mothers can keep their child there; the mother will be at rest and can be more productive. But when the child is so far away, you don’t know what is happening, the mother’s heart would not be at rest, she would be tense. Even the mother’s breast will be full and engrossed and painful, she might not be able to concentrate at work though she is physically present,” she said.
The neonatologist said employers needed to know that they too would benefit from making the environment conducive for their workers to breastfeed.
Also, Mrs. Motunrayo Oduneye, chief dietitian at Dietetics Department UCH, said including water as part of babies’ food for the first six months of life used to be a major contending factor with this art of breastfeeding, that is giving water alongside breast milk.