Every Child Deserves To Be Breastfed – Aisha Buhari
Oru Leonard
The wife of Nigeria’s President, Aisha Buhari has said that every child deserves breastfeeding.
Mrs Buhari who wad represented by the wife of the former Nassarawa State Governor, Dr. Mairo Al Makura, said this at the launch of the Zero water campaign during the 2019 World Breastfeeding Week held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
“Breast feeding is the right of every new-born child, and the government of Nigeria recommends that initiation of breast feeding should begin immediately after childbirth”, she revealed.
The First lady noted that refusal to breastfeed comes with a huge economic cost, vulnerability to illness and eventual death of our children, whilst the benefits of breastfeeding are enormous and hoped that the launch would change the narrative for nutrition in the country. She said the Zero launch was meant to encourage women to breastfeed within one hour of giving birth and not introducing the baby to water until 6 months.
UNICEF deputy representative, Pernille Ironside, who said she has been breastfeeding her child for the past eighteen months, informed the dignitaries present that breastfeeding is a unique right of every newborn and gives him or her the best start in life as well as laying the foundation for survival and ultimate good health and development. She noted that in a country where 1 in 8 children do not reach their fifth birthday and 1 in 10 children are stunted, optimal breastfeeding practices are known to reduce neonatal and child mortality, morbidity such as respiratory infections, diarrhea, as well as non- communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
Ms Ironside said an important barrier to optimal exclusive breastfeeding practice is the lack of family friendly policies that support maternity and paternity leave for parents of new-born children.
Available statistics in Nigeria reveal that the rates for exclusive breastfeeding have improved from 17% in 2013 to 27% in 2018, just as Kaduna and Lagos states have increased maternity leave from 3 to 6 months.
