Exclusive Breastfeeding Will Save Nigeria N6.9B Annually’
Exclusive and adequate breastfeeding
practice by Nigerian mothers will not only help in improving the mental
capacity of babies when they grow up, it will also save the country at
least N6.93 billion spent every year, Health Expert with Alive and
Thrive, Dr. Sylvester Igbedioh has said.
He said inadequate breastfeeding will on
the long run take a toll on the health of babies at their infancy and
during their adult life, while huge cost would then be spent on
treatment of various diseases that could have been prevented with simply
practicing exclusive breastfeeding.
Stating this at the two-day workshop for health journalists in Lagos,
tagged: ‘Skills in Utilising Media for Social and Behavioural Change
with Focus on Infant and Young Child Feeding,’ he said parents who
desire to see their children grow in good health, do well in school, and
eventually become successful adults, should give them the basis for
that – which is exclusive breastfeeding.
The workshop was organised by Alive and Thrive, a non-governmental organisation, managed by FHI 360.
He said: “Exclusive breastfeeding
provides all of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antibodies needed to
grow and thrive in the first six months of life. This should continue
as a pivotal part of their diet up to the age of two years or beyond.
“Breast milk is safe. It is always in the right temperature and requires no preparation. Whether a mother is in an environment with poor sanitation or in places with unsafe water, the quality of breastmilk does not change.”
Ogbedioh said as infants grow, their
nutritional needs grow as well, adding that, “to keep up with these
growing demands, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that
infants begin eating solid, semi-solid or soft foods at six months of
age to ensure that their nutrient intake is sufficient to fuel their
developing brains and bodies”.
He said the foods consumed between six
months and two years of life are called complementary foods because they
ideally complement an already breastmilk-based diet, and that the
18-month period between six months and age two years is referred to as
the complementary feeding period.
“During this period, it is recommended
that children eat a frequent and diverse diet of nutrient-rich and
hygienically prepared complementary foods in addition to breastmilk.
Evidence has shown that a diet comprising at least four food groups a
day is associated with improved growth in young children,” he added.
He also called on mothers to initiate
breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, adding that they should
also ensures that the infant receives the colostrum, or “first milk”,
which is rich in protective factors.
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