By Eunice Nnachi, Yenagoa
Nursing mothers in Bayelsa have been promised continued support aimed at ensuring needed leverage to comfortably practice adequate breastfeeding of their newborns.
At the 2024 flag-off ceremony for World Breastfeeding Week in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Commissioner for Women, Children Affairs, and Social Development, Mrs. Elizabeth Bide, pledged ongoing support for nursing mothers.
She emphasized the critical importance of exclusive breastfeeding for infants, recommending it for at least six months to ensure proper growth and development.
She said: “At birth infants were expected to be breastfed exclusively for at least six months before introduction to other sources of nutrition.
“I would like to advise nursing mothers never to be deterred from feeding their newborns with their natural breast milk. Available health statistics shows that aside the benefit of ensuring proper growth of children, practice of breastfeeding by women also reduces the risk of breast cancer as well as leads to reduction on economic expenses on feeding for newborns”, she said.
Dr. Williams Appah, Executive Secretary of the state’s Primary Healthcare Board, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the health benefits of breastfeeding, including reduced breast cancer risk for mothers.
The event, themed “Closing the Gap: Break the Record, Break Barriers,” saw participation from over 30,000 nursing mothers nationwide, supported by UNICEF and WHO.
Chief (Dr.) Markson Amaegbe-Tamuno, Chairman of the Bayelsa Primary HealthCare Development Board, commended the increased awareness among women regarding breastfeeding’s health benefits.
The event featured a national attempt to break the record for simultaneous breastfeeding, showcasing the collaborative efforts of various health organizations to promote breastfeeding support across communities.
