By Gabriel Olawale

The State Team Lead of Alive and Thrive in Lagos, Dr Uche Ralph-Opara has called for more attention to the first 1,000 days of life of a child,saying that early initiation of breastfeeding was capable of addressing malnutrition.

Uche who spoke at the inauguration and investiture of Breastfeeding Guardians in Lagos State, said that a lot of money is spent trying to prevent or treat malnutrition.

MALNUTRITION: Newborns and pregnant women most at risk.

“The initiation of breastfeeding immediately after birth and exclusively breastfeed the baby for six months without water or herb, and after six months, you introduce the baby to diverse diet, will address issue of malnutrition.

“So the question is why wasting a lot of resource on treating malnutrition when it can actually be prevented? Today, with the support of Lagos State Government and Alive& Thrive, we are unveiling Breastfeeding Guardian in 10 LGAs that will take breastfeeding messages to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

“We want the Guardians to encourage pregnant and breastfeeding mothers to practice optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding, IYCF.

Uche disclosed that they also have a structure in place that supports healthcare providers and Traditional Birth Attendants at the community level to propagate the health and economic benefits of breastfeeding.

She tasked the Breastfeeding Guardians to change the myths and misconceptions about breastfeeding.

https://newlive.vanguardngr.com/2018/12/continue-to-obey-your-parents-ambode-wife-tell-chidren/

In her welcome address, State Nutrition Officer in Lagos, Mrs Olubunmi Braheem commended Alive & Thrive for sharing the vision of healthy society with government.

“We are committed to improving the nutritional status of infants and young children in the state and we appreciate the support of Alive and Thrive. Presently, the exclusively breastfeeding figure for Lagos State is 51.8 per cent which we are aiming that by 2020, we can achieve about 65 per cent.