Why breastfeeding is important – UNICEF

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, has said that it’s a sin for nursing mothers to deprive their children of exclusive breastfeeding which is the child’s first food as an infant.

The organisation lamented the low rate of exclusive breastfeeding in South South states and called for a return to exclusive breastfeeding in order to avert deaths among enfants.

UNICEF nutrition specialist, Rivers field office, Mrs. Ngozi Onuora said this while speaking at the Zonal media dialogue in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state to commemorate of the 2021 World Breastfeeding week organised in collaboration with Broadcast Corporation of Abia state.

Onuora said investigation has revealed in some communities that mothers complain that they stop breastfeeding after, two weeks, three weeks, one month, because their breastmilk is not enough to continue breastfeeding.

She called on the stakeholders including the media to ensure that the society returned to the heritage of exclusive breastfeeding through advocacy because of it obvious benefits to the development and overall well-being of a child.

“It is everybody’s responsibility to protect children. And I want to tell us that it is a sin for mothers not to practice exclusive breastfeeding which is child’s first food as an infant. It is also a more sin for us individuals, stakeholders in the society that are not encouraging mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding.

“Exclusive breastfeeding has a lot of benefit. Breastfeeding is a powerful life-saver. It is also critical to the long term health and well-being of both mother and child. Unfortunately, the majority of world’s mothers are not able to optimally breastfeed their children.