Lactating mothers in Bauchi State have revealed that their rejection of some old mother tale that discourages exclusive breastfeeding has saved many infants from avoidable sickness and death.

A cross-section of women who spoke on Tuesday in Bauchi communities said that exclusive breastfeeding practice has improved the health of their children while reducing the economic burden of feeding the infants.

The women have started encouraging themselves on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding to avert severe acute malnutrition, which has threatened the lives of many children in the state.

It was observed that women’s groups called Mama-2-Mama were present in communities such as Liman Katagum and Dass, encouraging fellow women to adopt good health practices.

Data by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stated that over 50,000 children are malnourished in the state, while others need urgent care to avert mortality.

One of the women, Hadijatu Ibrahim, said that some of the new young mothers are being enlightened to embrace exclusive breastfeeding because a good number of them do not have experience in handling infants.

“These young mothers are key to us; some of them gave birth at a very young age, and they need our support on how to manage different conditions during childbirth. We have been preaching exclusive breastfeeding to them right from their pregnancy stage, and of course, they now have knowledge and appreciate the benefit,” she said.

One of the nursing mothers, Khadija Umar, explained her insistence on practising exclusive breastfeeding despite her mother-in-law’s instruction to introduce water and food to the baby. “I told her that doctors prescribed bottled water, which I know she cannot afford to buy.

“We fought and settled, and thank God she has become an advocate of exclusive breastfeeding,” she said.

Another resident of Dass, Hajiya Maimuna Abubakar, explained how breastfeeding exclusively had prevented her children from buying baby food. “For six months, I don’t have to bother to buy now expensive baby food. Breast milk is good for children; it prevents diseases and makes them healthy.”

During this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, the UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Bauchi, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, appealed to mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding.
According to her, the state needs urgent improvement in its 24 per cent of exclusive breastfeeding practice.

She called for urgent commitment to the lives of children who are battling severe acute malnutrition.