Breastfeeding’s imperative for health

The emphasis placed globally on breastfeeding is certainly not misplaced, considering the immense benefits of the practice; and its potential to ward off myriad health issues that can afflict both mother and child. Nigeria, battling with basic health care much of which affects infants and women in motherhood, can do a lot more to embrace the theme ‘Let’s make breastfeeding and work, work!’ for this year’s commemoration of World Breastfeeding Day, observed normally in the first week of August every year, world-wide. The occasion emphasises the need for greater breastfeeding support across all workplaces to sustain and improve progress on breastfeeding rates globally.

According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO), countries as diverse as Cote d’Ivoire, Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Somalia and Viet Nam have achieved large increases in breastfeeding rates, showing that progress is possible when breastfeeding is protected, promoted, and supported particularly with policy.However, 91 per cent of Nigeria’s workplaces have no breastfeeding policy, says UNICEF, indicating that only nine per cent of Nigerian organisations have a workplace breastfeeding policy, with only 1.5 per cent in the public sector. Also, the multilateral agency stated that women in the informal sector have nearly no support for breastfeeding.

This suggests that unsuitable environment continues to hinder a larger percentage of breastfeeding mothers from exclusively breastfeeding their babies. This is despite the fact that women make up 20 million out of the 46 million workforce strength in Nigeria – 95 per cent are in the informal sector, while the formal sector employs only five per cent.

This is not a good human development story.This development in Africa’s most populous nation denies millions of such children the benefits of breast milk, an unacceptable phenomenon that should be vigorously campaigned against.

Breast milk is the ideal food for babies and infants as it contains nutrients in the right quantity, giving them all the nourishment, they need to survive and thrive. Breast milk is easily digestible and well absorbed. Besides, it is safe and contains antibodies that help protect infants from common childhood illnesses, such as respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea and pneumonia, which are the two primary causes of child mortality worldwide. Exclusive breastfeeding can also reduce the risk of coeliac disease and chances of developing type II diabetes, asthma and other allergic problems. Breastfeeding prevents obesity in childhood and adulthood, as well as diet-related chronic diseases, such as hypertension and cancers. In addition, breastfed infants are known to show better vaccine responses after vaccination against childhood diseases. They perform better on intelligence tests, when compared with infant formula-fed babies. Again, breast milk is readily available and affordable, which helps to ensure that infants get adequate nutrition at all times and at very little cost, and at the right temperature. Mortality of children under the age of five could be prevented with increased breastfeeding and the incidence of certain diseases among babies would be significantly reduced.

Also, health professionals have noted that breast milk contains all the nourishments a new born needs for proper development in the early stages and later in life; and argue that breastfeeding is beneficial to the child, mother and community. They recommend early initiation of breast milk and that the new-born be fed with breast milk within the first hour of its life.

Specifically, colostrum, which is the yellow custard-like milk produced in the first few days after birth is described as the infant’s first immunisation because it is very rich in substances that fight infections, protecting infants from potentially deadly diseases.

On the part of the mother, early initiation of breast milk helps to fast-track expulsion of the placenta while breastfeeding helps burn extra calories and helps the mother lose pregnancy weight faster. It releases the hormone, which helps the uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy size and may reduce uterine bleeding after birth. Breastfeeding has also been associated with reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type II diabetes and postpartum depression in mothers, thereby reducing the incidence of baby abandonment and abuse. What is more, exclusive breastfeeding promotes emotional bonding between the baby and the mother, and it also has 98 per cent efficiency in preventing unwanted pregnancy.

Also, the community reaps a lot of benefits when mothers practise breastfeeding because breastfed babies are healthy babies and healthy babies make a healthy nation as cases of and severity of childhood illnesses are reduced, thereby improving child survival. This, of course, leads to a huge reduction in national expenditure because the country will spend less on the importation of formula and curative health care for children. These are only part of numerous other documented benefits of breastfeeding.

Hence, UNICEF and WHO are calling on governments, donors, civil society, and the private sector to step up efforts toensure a supportive breastfeeding environment for all working mothers – including those in the informal sector or on temporary contracts – by having access to regular breastfeeding breaks and facilities that enable mothers to continue breastfeeding their children once they return to work.

It is wise, therefore, for governments, donors, civil society, and the private sector to heed UNICEF and WHO’s advocacy to provide sufficient paid leave to all working parents and caregivers to meet the needs of their young children. This includes paid maternity leave for a minimum of 18 weeks, preferably for a period of six months or more after birth; and increase investments in breastfeeding support policies and programmes in all settings, including a national policy and programme that regulates and promotes public and private sector support to breastfeeding women in the workplace.

Nigeria should go beyond celebration to ensuring that organisations have workplace breastfeeding policy to increase exclusive breastfeeding rate in the country in order for Nigeria meet the World Health Assembly target of 50% EBF by 2025 and reach the global 2030 target of 70 per cent. All said, family-friendly workplace policies such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks, and a room where mothers can breastfeed or express milkare critical to improved EBF rates. Breastfeeding is not a one-woman job. Mothers need support from their husbands, family members, community, health workers and governments to give children the healthiest possible start of life. The legislature should enact appropriate laws to make easy breastfeeding feasible. Nigeria can make ‘breastfeeding and work, work!’Doing so makes societies work!