Speaking at a press conference to commemorate the 2016 World Breastfeeding Day, Chief of Kaduna UNICEF Field Office, Utpal Moitra, said breastfeeding within 30 minutes of childbirth equally saves mothers from maternal death.
Explaining how exclusive breastfeeding reduces some health risks, Kaduna State Nutrition Officer, Mrs. June Gwani, stated that constant breastfeeding of the baby protects nursing mothers against cancer of the uterus and breast cancer, such that it equally helps the mothers’ uterus to return to its position quickly after delivery.
Speaking further, Moitra said the 2016 World Breastfeeding Week was targeted at creating awareness on the relationship between breastfeeding an infant and young child feeding as a key component of sustainable development goals.
According to him: “Initiation of breastfeeding within 30 minutes after birth saves mothers from the risk of post-partum haemorrhage and maternal death and exclusive breastfeeding on demand in the first six months of life without water or any other food starts every baby on healthy path in life, providing all the nutrients the baby requires for optimum growth and development.
Gwani said that against the general belief of mothers that a baby needs water, all a baby needs in the first six months of life is in breast milk.
According to her, breast milk contains 85 per cent of water; so there is no fear of absence of water in the breast milk. “The feeding of the colostrums serves as the first immunisation against a host of diseases the mother must have been exposed to while continuing breastfeeding up to two years and beyond.”
