Nutrition experts and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) yesterday advised women, especially nursing mothers, to not only practice exclusive breastfeeding but to also encourage others to practice it as a key to sustainable development.
They said breastfeeding a new born baby is the best gift any mother can give to her child to prevent all the childhood killer diseases such diarrhea or cholera.
The programme which attracted expectant and nursing mothers in the area was organised by Radio Rivers in collaboration with UNICEF.
Addressing the women at Orogbum Primary Health Centre, Obio/Akpor Local Government of Rivers State, Mrs. Glory Wokocha, a nutritionist, said it is an act of wickedness for a nursing mother to refuse to practice exclusive breastfeeding.
Wokocha who represented the Director of Health in Rivers State Ministry described exclusive breastfeeding as a breastfeeding that started after 30 minutes of child birth and continue from one to six months.
She said: “From the day you conceived start preparing for good breast milk, the kinds of food you eat when you are pregnant determine how nutritious you breast milk will be. In exclusive breast feeding you don’t need to give baby water because the breast milk contains water.
“A baby must suck the mother breast milk for at least one hour, because the first milk that comes out of the mother’s breast is not the main milk. The more the baby sucks the more nutritious is the milk.”
Mrs. Patience Nweuzi, Head of Department Infant Welfare who demonstrated how nursing mother should carry and position a baby while giving breast milk said exclusive breastfeeding should be practice by all nursing mothers.