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By Madu Obi
Awka- The coordinator in charge of breastfeeding in Anambra State, Mrs. Ngozi Okoye has told nursing mothers that exclusive breastfeeding up to six months, is a form of family planning, as they would hardly become pregnant within the period.
Speaking during an advocacy programme at Mgbakwu Primary Health Center in Awka North local government area of the state, Okoye also told them that exclusive breastfeeding prevents ovarian cancer, explaining that most women who suffer from cancer were those who failed to do exclusive breastfeeding.
The advocacy programme was put together by the Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency, APHCDA, and the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF.
The campaign, which is also for Zero Water for babies zero to six months, took the health officials to markets and rural communities of the state.
According to Okoye, with exclusive breastfeeding, a nursing mother does not require any other form of family planning.
She also said that babies who enjoy exclusive breastfeeding hardly fall sick for the first six months of their birth.
She said: "We mothers abandoned exclusive breastfeeding because we care more about our shape and that is why our children are having problems."
"Many women erroneously believe that breastfeeding would result to the sagging of their breasts and therefore prefer to feed their babies with various formulas to exhibit status symbol."
"Most of the delinquencies among youths of today are traceable to the failure of their mothers breastfeed them adequately."
"Breast milk touches the brain and enhances proper upbringing. The cow milk which many women prefer makes children behave like cows.
"Even as we are interacting, you can easily remember some children in your neighborhoods whose mothers, out of carelessness, did not breastfeed their babies."
She added that what the breastfeeding mother requires is to eat well and the baby would be okay.
Also speaking in one of the markets, the Anambra State Nutrition Officer, Mrs. Uzomaka Eriken said that after six months of life, breastfeeding could be complemented with safe and appropriate nutritious soft foods.
"The baby needs to start eating complementary foods after six months of exclusive breastfeeding", she said, adding however that because of the importance of breast milk, the baby should continue to be fed with it along with the complimentary nutritious, rich and hygienic foods.
The Officer in Charge of PHC, Mgbakwu, Mrs. Virginia Nduka expressed delight that more women were beginning to embrace exclusive breastfeeding.
She said that on the average, 60 percent of the nursing mothers in the area now practise exclusive breastfeeding following various advocacy programmes.
"Many families in this area have understood that instead of buying children's milk, the money should be used to buy enough food to enable the nursing mother eat well so that the baby enjoys exclusive breastfeeding", she said.
She added that the additional effort the woman requires to make is to observe routine immunization of the baby.
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