Determined to promote the culture of breast feeding amongst women, the Rivers State Ministry of Health has concluded a two-day advocacy/sensitization programme aimed at enriching knowledge on breast feeding.
The programme which was co-sponsored by the State Primary Health Care Management Board in collaboration with UNICEF, Ministry of Women Affairs and State Committee on Food and Nutrition, the programme was further aimed at leveraging on local resources as well as other collective social strength in order to improve the nutrition indices.
In his opening remarks, the Honourable Commissioner of Health, Prof. Princewill Chike highlighted the benefit of exclusive breastfeeding, noting that breastfeeding is very important to infants and women at large.
He said recent happenings show atypical behaviors from children who were not sufficiently breast fed, saying more efforts of breastfeeding by the women will help immensely to transform the behaviour of the children.
The Health Commissioner stressed the importance of breast milk saying it serves as a brain developer and that the absence of breastfeeding is a key modifiable risk factor of disease for both mother and infants.
Hon. Chike said breast milk should be encouraged rather than the conventionally refined cow milk that has caused more harm than good. He further noted that breast milk helps improve on the activities of children when they grow.
The Commissioner urged the participants to enlighten women who are on reproductive age to know the value and benefit of breastfeeding.
Also speaking, Hon. Commissioner of Women Affairs, Mrs. Ukel Oyaghiri re-echoed the multi benefit of breast milk as it helps mothers space out their childbirth, adding that although regardless of its inconvenience, breast feeding is like contraceptive to some women.
Mrs. Oyaghiri also urged women not to use artificial milk as it had the potency of retarding their growth and development.
She further charged women not to have the mentality that their breast will be out of shape if they indulge in the practice, saying it is natural that as people grow old the muscles will no longer be as firm as when they are younger.
The wife of the Rivers State Governor, Justice Suzzette while speaking at the occasion charged women to breastfeed their children exclusively for the first six months of birth, while cautioning non-adherent mothers to reconsider their health and that of their babies and adhere to the rules of breastfeeding for a healthy future.
