Health Ministry, stakeholders create awareness for exclusive breastfeeding, take campaign to markets

By Ochiaka Ugwu

Nigerian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with relevant stakeholders have taken the message of exclusive breastfeeding to markets to drum support for exclusive breastfeeding for babies from zero to six months in commemoration of 2026 World Breastfeeding Week in Nigeria with the theme: “Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support System.

Speaking during the Road Walk and Public Sensitization with the hashtag: “Invest in Breastfeeding, Invest in the Future “at Garki International and Model Markets in Abuja Tuesday, Director and Head of the Nutrition Department at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ladidi Kuluwa Bako-Aiyegbusi mni stressed the need for all to prioritize exclusive breastfeeding by supporting and encouraging breastfeeding mothers.

According her, “We the advocates of breastfeeding are going on a Road Walk to the Garki International and Model Markets. To sensitize the women and also the men on the benefits of breastfeeding.

“The theme for this year’s breastfeeding week, is that we should prioritize breastfeeding. So, we want everyone, men, women, husband, mother-in-law father-in-law, markets women and men, religious leaders, traditional leaders, employers, co-workers to support every woman that is breastfeeding so that she can breastfeed effectively.

“We want everyone to help her to do the things that she is doing, so that she can affectively breastfeed her child. Breastfeeding is not an easy task. It is a task that needs the woman to be happy while she’s doing it. She needs to be in a comfortable environment, why she’s doing it? She needs to be emotionally stable.

“So, we want the husbands, the men in the house, when your wife is breastfeeding, please help her just sitting in front of her and smiling at her. It will encourage her to breastfeed the child. Help her to do some of the domestic activities in the house. If she has older children, help her to bath, feed them and take them to school. Reduce the work that she is doing when she is breastfeeding for her to breastfeed the baby effectively.

“And we also want the health workers to support every woman that is breastfeeding. The woman once she gives birth, within one hour, the health worker should encourage them to put the baby to breast so that the baby can suck the first tick yellow milk that contains a lot of nutrients and antibody, that is needed for the baby to grow.