Breastfeeding miracles

Boosts child survival, health

By Doris Obinna

World Health Organisation (WHO) is actively promoting breastfeeding as the best source of nourishing for infants and young children and is working to increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months up to at least 50 percent.

Breastfeeding is the act of feeding breast milk to an infant. Babies can be fed directly from the mother’s breast or breast milk can be pumped and then fed to the baby from a bottle. Breast milk contains calories, vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients that held an infant grow and develop. Beyond basic nutrients, breast milk also contains bioactive factors that support the baby’s developing immune system and aid indigestion.

According to WHO, there may be blood, sweat and tears in the first weeks of nursing your baby and you will need to employ the three “Ps” of breastfeeding:  Practice, patience and persistence. Historically, parents learned about breastfeeding through observation. Many grew up around others nursing their babies at the breast.

Commemorating the 2025 World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), the federal government reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to promoting optimal breastfeeding practices as a cornerstone of national health, nutrition security, and sustainable development.

As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the WBW from August 1-7, the Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, delivered a comprehensive national agenda aimed at scaling up breastfeeding practices, strengthening support systems, and addressing the environmental and socio-economic implications of suboptimal infant nutrition.

He declared that this year’s WBW, themed “Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems,” is a strategic call to action. According to him, all stakeholders, including governments, health professionals, employers, families, and communities, must work together to build long-term structures that empower mothers and protect every Nigerian child’s right to nutrition and survival.

“Breastfeeding is not the sole responsibility of women, but a shared obligation. It must be treated as a public health priority, a national development strategy, and a climate resilience measure.”

Benefits of breastfeeding

The Coordinating Minister emphasised that breastfeeding is not just about infant feeding, it delivers profound health, social, and economic benefits: “It reduces infant morbidity and mortality, it supports maternal health by lowering the risk of certain cancers, it lowers household medical expenses, it boosts workplace productivity, and it contributes to higher human capital and long-term economic gains.”

According to the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), only 29 percent of Nigerian infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, far below the global target of 50 percent and Nigeria’s national target of 80 percent by 2030. Alarmingly, only 23 percent of babies are breastfed within one hour of birth, a dramatic drop from previous years.

Pate noted that the statistics reveal a serious gap in supportive environments for breastfeeding mothers, both in healthcare settings and at home. “To address this, the federal government has invested in training healthcare workers, including doctors, midwives, nurses, and community health workers, implementation of baby-friendly hospital initiatives,112-day paid maternity leave for federal civil servants and two-hour daily breastfeeding breaks until the baby turns one, and 14-day paternity leave for men to support mothers.”

Pate also highlighted the government’s enforcement of the International Code of Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes (BMS) through National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to curb aggressive promotion of formula and protect exclusive breastfeeding. “If we get breastfeeding right, we take a giant step towards ending malnutrition, reducing poverty, building a resilient climate-smart nation, and securing a healthier, more prosperous Nigeria.”

As a national development

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, emphasised that Nigeria must seize the moment to elevate breastfeeding as a national development imperative.

Salako stated this year’s World Breastfeeding Week is marking a turning point. “The theme challenges us to act at critical intersections of infant nutrition, climate resilience, and equity.” Described breastfeeding as “nature’s first climate-smart food system,” he noted that it produces zero waste, requires no packaging or transportation, and has no carbon footprint.

“In contrast, formula feeding contributes to environmental degradation, increases family expenses, and heightens infant vulnerability. We need more than good intentions, we need an interconnected system of support that includes trained health workers, breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, supportive families, and community champions,” he stressed.

Salako called on health facilities to adopt and implement baby-friendly practices. “Employers should provide enabling environments for nursing mothers, community leaders should mobilise households to normalise breastfeeding and policymakers should increase budgetary support for maternal and child nutrition programs.

“To every health worker, community leader, father, employer, policymaker, this is your call to action. Identify your role. Support our mothers. Protect our future.”

A moral, economic imperative

World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) lauded Nigeria’s leadership and called for expanded efforts.

WHO Representative, Dr. Pindar Wakawa, said: “Breastfeeding is not only a health intervention, it is a moral, economic, and environmental imperative. We urge governments at all levels to invest in systems that support every woman to breastfeed, from antenatal care through to the workplace.”

UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Sumit Khan, speaking as both a health advocate and father, made a passionate plea: “Breastfeeding is the most impactful and cost-effective child survival intervention. If we don’t protect and support it, we risk worsening child mortality, inequality, and poverty.”

Khan highlighted the importance of community health workers in promoting breastfeeding at the grassroots and advocated for the revitalization of baby-friendly hospitals and workplaces across the country.

Global breastfeeding benchmark

The Lagos State Government to mark the 2025 WBW announced a significant increase in its exclusive breastfeeding rate, reaching 57.4 per cent, surpassing the global benchmark of 50 per cent.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, noted concerns about the low rate of early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, which stands at 14 per cent despite the progress.

She attributed this to service delivery gaps, misinformation, and the use of pre-lacteal feeds. She emphasized the need for improved training for midwives and birth attendants to promote early initiation. Ogunyemi underscored the importance of workplace and institutional backing for nursing mothers while reiterated that breastfeeding plays a critical role in child survival and development, calling it a public health and economic priority.

She also praised the state’s policy of six-month maternity leave and two-week paternity leave for public sector workers, urging private employers to adopt similar standards. “The State’s 334 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and over 20 Mother and Child Centres continue to support mothers through antenatal counselling and health education.

Cost effective, nutrition option

Director, Family Health and Nutrition, Dr. Folashade Oludara, described breastfeeding as the most cost-effective and beneficial nutrition option, particularly amid economic challenges. She called for more public education to counter myths and encourage informed choices.

United Nation Nutrition Champion and Clinton Health access Initiative (CHAI) founder, Dr. Lola Alonge, commended Lagos for pioneering paid maternity and paternity leave policies and called on the private sector to follow suit. She also advocated for the creation of breast milk banks nationwide.

Alive and Thrive Project’s State Team Lead, Mrs. Wunmi Ajayi, stressed the importance of early initiation of breastfeeding and called for tighter regulation on breast milk substitute marketing.