… As UNICEF, WHO call for equal access to breastfeeding support

By Chioma Obinna

As World Breastfeeding Week on Thursday commenced, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and the World Health Organisation, WHO, yesterday reported that Nigeria’s breastfeeding rate has risen to 34 per cent.

The United Nations organisations also explained that in the last 12 years, the number of infants under six months of age who are exclusively breastfed in Nigeria has increased by more than 10 per cent.

With this year’s theme tagged “Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all,” UNICEF and WHO are emphasising the need to improve breastfeeding support as a critical action for reducing health inequity and protecting the rights of mothers and babies to survive and thrive.

According to them, 34 per cent of infants in Nigeria benefit from a healthy start in life, translating to hundreds of thousands of babies whose lives have been saved by breastfeeding.

They noted that while the significant leap brings the country closer to the World Health Organisation target of increasing exclusive breastfeeding to at least 50 per cent by 2025, there are persistent challenges that must be addressed.

UNICEF Nigeria’s Country Representative, Cristian Munduate, explained that breastfeeding is the foundation of lifelong health and well-being.

According to her, “it is a simple, cost-effective, and natural way to provide infants with the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development.

“However, despite its proven benefits, exclusive breastfeeding rates in Nigeria remain low. Many mothers face cultural, social, and practical barriers that prevent them from breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of their child’s life”.

Munduate explained that during this critical period of early growth and development, the antibodies in breast milk protect babies against illness and death.

“This is especially important during emergencies when breastfeeding guarantees a safe, nutritious, and accessible food source for infants and young children. Breastfeeding reduces the burden of childhood illness and the risk of certain types of cancers and non-communicable diseases for mothers.

They noted that in Nigeria, key gaps in breastfeeding support include insufficient maternity leave policies, lack of workplace support, and inadequate access to breastfeeding education and services, particularly in rural areas.

Only seven states offer the recommended 24 weeks of paid maternity leave, and many women return to work without the necessary support to continue breastfeeding.

The duo emphasised that to close these gaps, the government, employers, healthcare providers, and communities need to collaborate.

“Policies should be enacted to extend paid maternity leave, create breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, and provide comprehensive breastfeeding education and support services.”

This year, UNICEF is supporting Nigeria in setting the world record for the highest number of lactating mothers breastfeeding simultaneously. 30,000 mothers will breastfeed their babies across all 36 states in Nigeria and the FCT on August 1st, 2024.

The initiative not only aims for a record but also seeks to draw attention to the importance of breastfeeding, as well as challenge harmful nutrition norms and practices, specifically the introduction of water and other pre-lacteal feeds during the first six months of a baby’s life.

To support progress, data needs to be available on policy actions that make breastfeeding possible, such as family-friendly employment policies, regulation of the marketing of breastmilk substitutes, and investment in breastfeeding. Improving monitoring systems will help boost the effectiveness of breastfeeding policies and programmes, inform better decision-making, and ensure support systems can be adequately financed.

They further explained that when breastfeeding is protected and supported, women are more than twice as likely to breastfeed their infants.

“This is a shared responsibility. Families, communities, healthcare workers, policymakers, and other decision-makers all play a central role by increasing investment in programmes and policies that protect and support breastfeeding through dedicated national budgets and implementing and monitoring family-friendly workplace policies, such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks, and access to affordable and good-quality childcare.

They also stressed the need to ensure mothers who are at risk in emergencies or under-represented communities receive breastfeeding protection and support in line with their unique needs, including timely, effective breastfeeding counselling as part of routine health coverage.