Exclusive breastfeeding means feeding your baby only with milk from the breast, not any other foods or liquids (including infant formula or water), except for medications or vitamin and mineral supplements.
Babies who are adequately breastfed, experts say, have lower risk of having asthma, obesity, Type 1 diabetes, severe lower respiratory disease, ear infections, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diarrhea/vomiting, among others.
Breastfeeding has health benefits for the mother too, among which include reduction in risk to breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Globally, the percentage of infants under six months of age exclusively breastfed has reached 48 percent, close to achieving the World Health Assembly 2025 target of 50 percent.
In Nigeria, breastfeeding is universal with almost all babies being breastfed. However, the practice of exclusive breastfeeding is rare with only 17percent of children younger than six months being exclusively breastfed. The need to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in our communities has been widely recognised.
Recently, Bauchi Field Office of the UNICEF organised a Media Dialogue held in Yola, Adamawa State with the theme: ‘Beyond Mothers: Analysing the Role of Fathers and Family Members in Promoting Exclusive Breastfeeding for Child Survival’.
The media dialogue was organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi Field Office (BFO), for media practitioners from Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau and Taraba States.
Speaking at the media dialogue, Philomena Irene, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, said this year’s theme, ‘Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All,’ underscores the fund’s commitment to ensuring that every mother in the UNICEF BFO states has access to the support she needs, regardless of her circumstances.
She expressed concern that the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) on breastfeeding was poor in the BFO states as the 2021 MICS showed Adamawa had 53.3 percent practice exclusive breastfeeding, Bauchi recorded 26.4 percent, Gombe had 30.7 percent, Plateau had 38.6 percent while Taraba recorded only 33.7 percent.
“These are not indices that should make one happy. The question is what can we do as change agents to change the narratives? This time, we want to focus on the gender and expect a different result,” she said.
Philomena Irene also said that the media should create a sustained campaign for men to support their breastfeeding wives in all ramifications to enable them to succeed in exclusively breastfeeding their infants for the first 1,000 days of life.
She stressed that the focus should be on fathers who could aid their wives with childcare and household chores so the baby’s mother can take time to breastfeed their babies.
According to her, “They are to also talk with family members, including grandmothers, about committing to milk from the breast only for the baby’s first six months – no water or other liquids or foods as well as talk about the need to feed the baby on milk, eggs, and green or orange fruits or vegetables every day.”
She further stated that, “The fathers are to ensure that animal source foods are always available for the baby by keeping for the family milk and eggs that might otherwise be sold or by purchasing milk and eggs as needed, beginning at six months. They are also to check in with their wives about how the plan for feeding the baby is going, at least once a week.
“We want men to become change agents and lead the charge in ensuring their wives practise exclusive breastfeeding and receive the appropriate nutrition at home.”
“The percentages are particularly troubling in Bauchi and Gombe states, where the rates are below 50 percent. This is unacceptable because it means that more than half of our children are not exclusively breastfed, leaving them vulnerable to chronic diseases, lower intellectual capacity, gastrointestinal issues, and diarrhea.
She further stressed that exclusive breastfeeding is not only beneficial for the child’s health but also cost-effective for families.
“Breastfeeding is cheap and affordable. We want mothers to practise exclusive breastfeeding, and we need husbands at home to support them by creating a stress-free environment conducive to breastfeeding, particularly during the first six months, and continuing until the child is two years old.”
In his contribution to the dialogue, the Assistant Secretary-General, Muslim Council of Nigeria, Adamawa State, Imam Bashir Tahir, urged fathers not to compete with their babies over the mother’s breast.
The cleric, who represented the chairman of the council at the media dialogue, pointed out that God created milk from the breast strictly for the growth and development of babies and pledged the commitment of the council to support UNICEF’s campaign on exclusive breastfeeding saying it is good and Islamic.
According to him, “There are 1,026 mosques in Adamawa state and if as a council we have an important message such as the importance of exclusive breastfeeding to convey to the Imams, we send such a message to the secretaries who will disseminate it to the Imams. The Imams will now convey the message to the people at the respective mosques in the state.”
He said, “I have never heard such a thing that a father is struggling with his baby for breast,” assuring that misconceptions about breastfeeding will be dispelled in their sermons.
Tahir added that, “Any father who drags the breast with a baby is depriving the child of its benefits,” he cautioned. “As a father you should be just to your child because if you are unjust as a father, you are only sowing a seed of discomfort and disrespect in your family.
“How do you expect to have respect in the house where the father deprives a small child of his rights given by God? This message should be preached as part of sensitisation.”
Tahir, who is the Chief Imam, MOPOL Police Barracks, Yola, said that it is a sin for a husband to swallow even a drop of his wife’s breast milk saying, “When you suck the breast milk of your wife, she automatically ceases to be your wife and becomes your mother because breast milk was ordained for the mother to feed her baby, not adult.”
He advised husbands sucking their nursing wives’ breasts milk to desist in order not to incur the wrath of God upon their family.
In his own contribution, the District Head of Nyibargo in Adamawa Emirate, Alhaji Abubakar Jika, harped on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.
“I recommend exclusive breastfeeding to my subjects because you cannot give what you don’t have,” the traditional ruler who is an ardent practitioner, told participants at the media dialogue. I got inspired by my medical friend doctor as far back as when I had my first child.”
According to him, “Thereafter I encouraged my wife to engage in exclusive breastfeeding and I have seen the immense benefits in the lives of my children. From traditional point of view none of us knew much about the benefits of breastfeeding.”
In his own submission, the representative of Adamawa State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), David Simon said that the Bible is in support of exclusive breastfeeding by mothers.
Simon assured that CAN will continue to use the pulpit to teach and promote exclusive breastfeeding to reduce maternal mobility and infant mortality just he also commended UNICEF for the media dialogue advocating more of such meetings in the interest of children and women.
Ibrahim Haruna who is a farmer and father of seven children said, since he came across information about the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, he has sustained advocacy for it, not only within his family but in the neighbourhood.
Ibrahim Haruna who regretted that before he came to know about exclusive breastfeeding, four of his children did not benefit, said that the situation has had negative health impact on their lives.
According to him, “Before I got enlightened by the authorities, I had four children who didn’t have the opportunity to be fed exclusively with breast milk for six months. As a result, they often fell sick and I spent a lot of money to treat them.”
He narrated that after having the awareness on the benefit of exclusive breastfeeding to children and the nursing mothers, he has been the one reminding his wife about it once she put to bed saying, “I have also been telling my neighbors and friends to encourage their wives, luckily enough, none of them has rejected because they have seen the outcome in my last three children.
“Honestly speaking, I must confess that there is a great difference, the last three children look healthier than the first four, they are also very intelligent, their educational performance is exceptional. They don’t fall sick often like the other ones, even if they do, it has always been a minor fever which paracetamol can easily heal.”
Ibrahim Maibulawus of Tsohuwar Kasuwa in Jimeta-Yola is a 60-year-old husband of two wives with 13 children. He joined the league of husbands supporting their nursing wives for exclusive breastfeeding five years ago and he confessed that the last years have been the best in his family life.
He said that he has gained a lot in terms of resources and peaceful family as his wives are fully involved in exclusive breastfeeding thereby minimising children sickness which would have consumed his little savings.
Kabiru Maigari is a 50-year -old civil servant in Adamawa State who has become an advocate of exclusive breastfeeding. He said that since he embraced the system, his family, especially the children have remained healthy and looking well fed and immune to all child killer diseases. He said they don’t fall ill but only visit the clinic for routine immunisation and other minor issues.
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