Mothers who exclusively breast-fed their babies for the first six months of life have recounted the benefits they derived saying that apart from being economical, it protects their children against infectious diseases.
The mothers who spoke during this year’s World Breastfeeding Week at Mkpat Enin local government area of Akwa Ibom received awards for exclusively feeding their babies for the first six months of life.
According to Nsikan Saviour Akpan who said she has been breastfeeding her baby for 24 months, her baby is health and she did not have to worry about her baby falling sick.
“My baby is healthy. Since I started breastfeeding him, he has never been sick. He is strong and healthy. Some women would say they want to give their breasts to their husband, this does not mean that you should not breast-feed your baby,’’ she said.
Nsikan who was one the three women who received an awarded during the celebration of the World Breastfeeding Week, said she did not have to spend money buying infant formula for her baby.
For Ememabasi Okon, breastfeeding her baby for the first six months delayed the return of her menstrual cycle which according to her, served as a natural method of preventing her from getting pregnant after giving birth her to a child.
“My husband is very supportive, he makes sure that I eat good food and we don’t spend money buying baby food. Breastfeeding has helped by delaying the return of my menstrual period,’’ she said.
In a message to mark the event, Unicef described exclusive breastfeeding as key to survival and quality care of new born babies, adding that children who are exclusively breast-fed for the first six months of life are “14 times more likely to survive than non-breast-fed children.”
It noted that the launch in 2014 of the “Every Newborn Action Plan” allowed Unicef to advocate for exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months as part of quality care and an essential protection against infectious diseases providing essential nutrients during the first two years of a child’s life, helps to prevent stunting, a form of chronic malnutrition that affects 162 million children under five yearly globally.
