Janet Ogundepo
The Lagos State Government has urged mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding as it is set to commemorate the 2024 World Breastfeeding and Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health Plus Nutrition Week.
Listing the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding in the optimal development of babies, the government said that breastfeeding was the easiest and cheapest way to feed babies, stating that it protected the family’s finances and created a safe environment.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, disclosed this at a Wednesday press briefing while speaking on the government’s preparations for the week-long activities.
Ogunyemi said the government would be implementing interventions geared towards promoting exclusive breastfeeding and improving health-seeking behaviours, particularly among mothers and children under five years.
The World Breastfeeding Week is held annually on August 1-7 to create awareness and initiate action on the importance of breastfeeding.
According to the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, WBW is celebrated in commemoration of the 1990 Innocenti Declaration.
The World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund recommend that babies initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and be exclusively breastfed within the first six months of life.
The WHO states that breastfeeding provides all the energy and nutrients that infants need for the first months of life and is important to ensure optimal growth and development for increased chances of survival.
The theme for this year’s celebration is, “Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all.”
The SA emphasised that the week-long activities would be highly impactful, with all 329 primary health care centres, 752 mobile teams, and over 3,000 health workers trained and prepared on implementation strategies.
She explained, “Breastfeeding practice also preserves the environment and conserves financial resources for the family and the society. Breastfeeding practice makes the world a more secure place, as studies have shown that breastfed babies exhibit appropriate behaviour during adulthood.
“Lagos State will be joining other states of the Federation and FCT to commemorate the 2024 World Breastfeeding Week by holding a ground-breaking breastfeeding campaign, where over 36,000 women will be mobilised to breastfeed their children at midday across the country during the week. The theme for 2024 World Breastfeeding Week is ‘Closing the Gap, Breastfeeding Support for All.”
Continuing, Ogunyemi stated, “This theme speaks to every support needed by a lactating mother to encourage her to adequately breastfeed her baby. This support must be given by every stakeholder, the baby’s father, grandmother, religious and community leaders, employers, colleagues, friends, etc.
“The objectives of 2024 World Breastfeeding Week are the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding from the first six months of life, shift harmful norms and practices, combat social stigma, and support the growth and development of babies through the commission of critical nutrients.”
She disclosed that mobile teams would visit creches, schools, and playgrounds to administer deworming tablets and vitamin A to eligible children.
“The MNCAH+N Week is a week set aside by the Federal Ministry of Health through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency in collaboration with the 36 states of the federation to improve the provision of preventive, promotive, high-impact, but cost-effective maternal and child health interventions,” she said.
She announced that the 2024 MNCAH+N Week, scheduled to hold from August 1 to 7, 2024 coincided with the World Breastfeeding Week, which was why the government would be implementing both concurrently.
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