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The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has called on the government at all levels to create policies that would encourage breastfeeding in Nigeria.
The Children’s charity advised the government to ensure such policies involve the payment of maternity leave for six months and the payment of paternity leave, noting that infant nutrition has a significant relevance to national development.
Other such policies recommended by the UN agency include flexible return-to-work options, regular lactation breaks during working hours and adequate facilities that enable mothers to continue exclusive breastfeeding for six months.
The suggestion came from the Chief of the Field Office, UNICEF in Bauchi State, Dr. Tushar Rena, during a media dialogue on World Breastfeeding Week, which took place in Azare, Bauchi State.
Aside from creating policies to encourage breastfeeding, government and employers “must provide the needed assistance for mothers and caregivers, including those in the informal sector or on temporary contracts to conveniently breastfeed, advised Dr Rena.”
He said, “When working parents and caregivers have sufficient paid leave, they can meet the essential nutritional needs of their young children.
”We understand that optimal infant feeding is a cornerstone for human capital development while poor Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices bear major risks to child survival and socio-economic growth.”
Disturbed that workplace challenges to breastfeeding are one of the primary factors responsible for early cessation of breastfeeding, he said women require sufficient time and support to breastfeed successfully.
“For working mothers, juggling between tasks and breastfeeding may be nearly often impossible.”
Rena who warned that babies not breastfed are 14 times more likely to die before their first birthday than babies who are exclusively breastfed, called on journalists to continue to draw attention to the significance of infant nutrition and its interplay with national development.
