Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has urged family members, the community and workplace to provide necessary support to mothers in order to successfully breastfeed their babies.
The ministry made the call on Monday in commemoration of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week which starts from August 1 to 7.
A statement signed by the director of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Patricia Deworitshe, said World Breastfeeding Week is a yearly global campaign to raise awareness on the health and wellbeing outcomes of breastfeeding on infants, young children mothers, families and society at large.
Deworitshe said the global theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Closing the Gap, Breastfeeding Support for All,’ which ahe said emphasised the collective responsibility of all to ensure that every mother receives the support she needs to make breastfeeding a successful and fulfilling experience.
According to her, in order to successfully breastfeed their babies, mothers need support from the health system, family members, community members and workplace, which she said was critical to the success of breastfeeding because knowledge sharing, encouragement, support with household chores, call-ups and creation of an enabling environment makes the act of breastfeeding easier for the mother.
“It is essential that no-one is left behind especially vulnerable mothers who may need additional assistance to reduce breastfeeding inequalities. Women in all settings need and deserve support to optimally breastfeed their babies.
“Hence, the ministry has dedicated 1st to 7th August, 2024 to celebrate the week long event with a series of planned activities. The week will be flagged-off on the 1st August with a record breaking event for most lactating women breastfeeding simultaneously, which will be followed by community outreaches, training of health workers, media campaign, among others,” she said.
The ministry also recommended early initiation of breastfeeding within an hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, continued breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond, with the introduction of appropriate complementary food as from six months.
It therefore urged citizens to support all mothers to breastfeed as recommended, noting that such support contributes to the nation’s health, economy and future workforce.
