Kebbi: Breast feeding rooms promote working mothers, children’s health

The wife of Kebbi State governor, Dr Zainab Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, last week introduced a new method to the ongoing efforts aimed at ensuring that mothers adequately breast feed their babies even at their work places. To achieve this, she has set up breast feeding rooms for working mothers in the state ministries, agencies and […]

The wife of Kebbi State governor, Dr Zainab Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, last week introduced a new method to the ongoing efforts aimed at ensuring that mothers adequately breast feed their babies even at their work places.

To achieve this, she has set up breast feeding rooms for working mothers in the state ministries, agencies and departments and the state government has approved the renovation and furnishing of each breast feeding room at the cost of N1.2 million.

The initiative of the governor’s wife is said to be the first in the country in the effort to ensure that babies are adequately breast fed by their mothers at the work place.   

Speaking during the commissioning of the breast feeding rooms at the state secretariat, Gwadangwaji in Birnin Kebbi, the wife of the president, Hajiya Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by her personal assistant, Hajiya  Hajo Sani, commended the initiative of the governor’s wife. 

She said the objective was to promote the health and wellbeing of mothers and children in the state.  

Hajiya Buhari said, “I am delighted to be part of the global breast feeding advocacy as well as the national launch of breast feeding initiatives like this one that we are witnessing in Kebbi State. It was an indication of the state’s commitment to advance breast feeding. 

“The benefit is enormous because it would provide the babies with the essential nutrients and antibodies to protect them from malnutrition and preventable diseases.”

Aisha Buahri called on wives of governors in other states to emulate the breast feeding initiative of the wife of Kebbi State governor towards promoting efficient breast feeding among mothers in the states.

Earlier in her speech, Dr Zainab Bagudu stated that she planned to extend the initiative to all the 21 local governments in the state. 

She said: “I shall be meeting with wives of all LGA chairmen and the 23 female councilors to devise a strategy of actualizing the project.”  

She expressed worry over the poor breast feeding habit of mothers in the country, noting that global statistics indicated that 100,000 children die annually as a result of inadequate breast feeding by mothers leading to $21 billion economic loss annually.

Before this advocacy and the present breast feed initiatives many nursing mothers in Kebbi State were battling with sicknesses and diseases associated with inadequate breast feeding and hygiene. 

As a result many children and even mothers have died from some of the preventable diseases caused by malnutrition arising from poor feeding of mothers and their children.

Many of the women whose children were affected are from the rural areas. Many of them usually gave birth at home. They lack the advice and knowledge on child early initiation to breast feeding and other hygienic issues.

However, today the awareness is increasing; some of them now come from different villages to attend meetings on exclusive breast feeding and hygiene at the primary health centres and hospitals.

A nursing mother, Hadiza Aliyu who spoke to our correspondent commended the breast feeding initiative of the state government. She said many mothers now know the importance of earlier initiation of the child to exclusive breast feeding within six months of birth. 

“I want to say that the advocacy and other enlightenment campaigns by health workers at the hospitals, primary health centres and other health initiatives of government have helped us. It was an eye opener for us. Today we also go about the villages to educate other nursing mothers on the importance of exclusive breast feeding,” she said.    

A health worker at the primary health centre at Gawasu village area of Birnin Kebbi, during a visit by UNICEF officials to the health centre, told our correspondent that they often enlightened nursing mothers on weekly basis on the importance of exclusive breast feeding and early initiation of the child to it. 

“We have charts to educate them on how to feed their newborn child. We always warn them that once they mix water with breast feeding, their children will become malnourished. Thank God many of them have demonstrated their willingness to adhere to exclusive breast feeding,” he added.