RAYMOND OZOJI reports
The chairperson of the Anambra State Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) Mrs. Edith Onwuka, has stressed the need for exclusive breastfeeding immediately after child birth and subsequent routine immunisation for vaccinations against chronic childhood diseases.
Onwuka who spoke on the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week, stressed that the importance of exclusive breastfeeding to the newborn can not be overemphasized as she believed that exclusive breastfeeding is an antidote to childhood infections and illnesses.
Onwuka explained that exclusive breastfeeding meant that a newborn baby should be fed solely on breast milk for the first six months of life. She also stated that the World Breastfeeding Week is a week mapped out for the sensitisation and orientation of mothers, fathers and everyone on the importance of breastfeeding to infants.
The state NANNM chairperson who listed the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding to include provision of natural immunity for the child, provision of natural antibodies to help fight infections, reduction of childhood illnesses, strengthening of the baby's immune system, protection against malnutrition, reduction of risks of chronic diseases and supports healthy development of the brain, noted that exclusive breastfeeding practices are beneficial to the mother, the family and the community at large.
She stated that exclusive breastfeeding helps to reduce bleeding after child delivery. That it also helps to lower the risks of breast and ovarian cancer and also delays the return of fertility, stressing that exclusive breastfeeding can serve as a family planning method.
According to her, the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding to the community is that it would help to reduce environmental pollution and incessant throwing away of containers that serve as breeding points for mosquitoes, if every mother adopted exclusive breastfeeding for their babies.
Mrs. Onwuka said that breastfeeding brings about bonding between the child and other family members because it would feel loved and behaves normal too. She added that the role of health workers working in the labour ward is to ensure that they initiated breastfeeding within the first thirty minutes of life.
Onwuka also pointed out that another message health workers should pass on to nursing mothers is to feed their babies only on breast milk for the first six months and most importantly, breastfeed their babies on demand, stressing that exclusive breastfeeding can not be achieved without encouraging mothers to breastfeed on demand and encourage nursing mothers to continue breastfeeding their babies up to two years, if they can as it would help to reduce childhood illnesses while admonishing them also to desist from combining breastfeeding with infant formula as it leads to malnutrition.
She equally advised nursing mothers that while they practiced undiluted breastfeeding, they should also take advantage of the free immunisation services in over 1000 health facilities across the state to vaccinate their babies against childhood killer diseases.
She said UNICEF has provided all that is needed for immunisation to be done free of charge and that no health worker should collect money for it.
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