The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has advocated exclusive breastfeeding for nursing mothers, News About Nigeria reports.
The agency made this call on Friday while speaking during the 2024 World Breastfeeding Week Flag-off and World Breastfeeding Record Initiative, where over 30,000 lactating women across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as well as selected Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps breastfed their babies simultaneously.
They warned lactating mothers against feeding their babies with water or any liquid substance other than breastmilk within the first six months of life.
The UNICEF Public Health Nutrition Officer and the Breastfeeding Record Facilitator, Izuchukwu Michael Offiaeli, commended breastfeeding mothers who participated in the historic event, stating that Nigeria has broken the world record for the most lactating women, exceeding the current record of 21,000 attempted by the Philippines in 2013.
He disclosed that breastmilk has over 88 percent water, providing all the water a baby needs and cautioned that giving water to babies during the first six months of life is the major barrier to improving exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates in the country.
Offiaeli also encouraged mothers to choose breastmilk only for their babies in the first 6 months of life to ensure optimal health for their infants.
“While the target was to engage 30,000 lactating women, an impressive 31,254 women, along with their babies, turned out across the states and IDP camps to set a new world record for the highest number of lactating women breastfeeding simultaneously,” he stated.
Speaking at the event, UNICEF Country Representative Cristian Munduate commended the Nigerian government for creating an enabling environment for lactating mothers in the country to breastfeed their babies.
