UNICEF, Stakeholders Round Off Exclusive Breastfeeding Campaign in Bayelsa.

 

The United Nations Children's Fund(UNICEF) in collaboration with the Bayelsa state Ministry of Health, through the Primary Healthcare Board BSPHCB, with other stakeholders rounded off a community sensitization on exclusive Breastfeeding and complementary feeding for young mothers in the state.

The goal is to tackle critical socioeconomic challenges associated with an increased incidence of infectious morbidity, as well as elevated risks of childhood obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, leukemia, and sudden infant death syndrome. 

Speaking  at the closing ceremony in Zarama Community, Rose Okparan, Breastfeeding initiative coordinator Bayelsa State primary Health Care Board,  while ex-raying the importance of breastfeeding; noted that it plays a crucial role in the health, growth and development of babies and has benefits for the mother too. 

She said  "UNICEF has recommended that children  are initiated breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life, meaning  that no other foods or liquids are provided, including water. Infants should be breastfed on demand, that is as often as the child wants, day and night up to 12 times.

"Breastfeeding also helps you recover physically from giving birth by causing your uterus to contract back to its normal size.

"Breastfeeding can help protect babies against some short and long yerm illnesses and diseases. Breastfed babies are also less likely to have ear infections and stomach bugs.

Also speaking lady Eunice Nnachi, CEO of Eunice Nnachi Women Advocacy Foundation, ENWAF advised that, breastfeeding also helps the society as a whole by reducing healthcare costs, environmental waste and the need for maternal deaths.

Nnachi said, Breastfeeding also supplies the perfect nutrition at a slow rate while they learn to nurse adding that   "these early days, colostrum stabilizes your baby’s blood sugar, kick starts the digestive system and contributes to their mental development of the baby."

She said, breastfeeding reduces the mothers risk of developing osteoporosis,  breast cancer risk,  ovarian cancer risk, producing oxytocin, which helps contract the uterus back to its pre-pregnancy size, and burns calories.

Recall that, stakeholders visited Ofonibiri, Angiama, Opiroma Sampou, Odi Kaiama, Nedugo and Zarama for breastfeeding sensitization campaign.