Chijioke Iremeka
Gynaecologists across the country say children who are not exclusively breastfed up to six months of their birth may suffer from a range of infectious diseases and under-nutrition.
They advise that health promotion and public health interventions should encourage exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months without water.
The specialists said that the constituents of a mother’s breast milk change over time to suit the baby’s appetite and nutrition demands, saying that this is one of the major advantages breast milk has over baby formula which its constituents remain the same all year round.
The Experts who spoke exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise in different interviews said maintained that breastfed babies are healthier and stronger than those fed with baby formula.
A Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Dr Babatunde Rosiji said the best form of meal for babies is breast milk as it serves the baby’s nutrition demands at all times.
He said, “This is the reason we talk about exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months without water. A child fed with breast milk for six months has gotten the nutrients and things that would help in his early life.
“Breastfed babies have a lot of antibodies that help in boosting their immunity against disease and help them to fight sickness. They don’t get sick like many other children who are not fed with breast milk.
“Also, why breast milk is important is that it supplies the body the right form of nutrients at different times. It guarantees a balanced diet because it produces the right meal in the right proportion that the baby needs.
“The breast milk that a mother’s body supplies in the morning is not the same in the afternoon and evening. It changes and that is why babies fed exclusively with breast milk will never be malnourished except there is an underlying medical condition.
“Unlike the baby formula that will offer the same thing in the morning, afternoon and evening, breast milk changes to suit what the body of the baby craves. So, we encourage women and nursing mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding as a way of averting malnutrition.”
Also, a Consultant gynaecologist and Surgeon at Havana Hospital, Lagos, Dr Ngozi Obiora, said exclusive breastfeeding has a lot of advantages over baby formula.
She noted that the most important part of breast milk is the colostrums, noting that it supplies babies with the entire nutrient and the immunity needed in the developmental stage, which increases the child’s Intellectual Quotient.
On how the Colostrums are formed, Obiora said, “Pregnancy hormones manufactured by the placenta help in the development of colostrum in the mother’s breasts.
“Colostrum helps to strengthen the baby’s immune system and establish a healthy gut by coating the intestines, which keeps harmful bacteria from being absorbed and offers ideal nutrition for the baby.”
Obiora explained that Vitamin A in Colostrums is important for a baby’s vision and its deficiency is a major cause of blindness worldwide, saying that babies are usually born with low reserves of vitamin A, so colostrum helps in making up for the deficit.
“Those first three days or so are a crucial time for establishing breastfeeding. This is also rich in magnesium, which supports the baby’s heart and bones; copper and zinc help to develop a strong immune system.
“Zinc also aids in brain development, and there’s nearly four times more zinc in colostrum than in mature milk. I use this opportunity to advise intending mothers, expectant and nursing mothers to ensure that they choose exclusive breastfeeding.
“After six months of exclusive breastfeeding, mothers can start mixing breast milk and baby formula, but they both can’t be compared as breast milk is the best in terms of nutrition and healthy feeding” Obiora added.
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