Why your health worker is important in breastfeeding

Alum of professionals trained by Japan in Japan is backing moves to train community health extension workers in the art of breastfeeding. The move is to use health workers based in grassroots primary health centres as future trainers for women and families in how to properly breastfeeding babies and cut malnutrition. “You can’t reach individuals. […]

Alum of professionals trained by Japan in Japan is backing moves to train community health extension workers in the art of breastfeeding.

The move is to use health workers based in grassroots primary health centres as future trainers for women and families in how to properly breastfeeding babies and cut malnutrition.

“You can’t reach individuals. The best thing is to go through the community health workers, who in turn will carry the message to their clinics, to step up the awareness of breastfeeding,” said Ahmed Agberanke, national president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency Alumni Association of Nigeria.

The association convened a day’s workshop for 40 community health extension workers from the six council areas of the FCT.

Nigeria has signed up to several treaties—including the Innocenti Declaration, which requires that all women be able to practise breastfeeding and all infants get breastmilk

“That means training all healthcare workers in the skill necessary to implement the policy,” said Aishatu Jakada, a matron and second vice president of the association.

“This is a wake-up call to achieve the 50% coverage rate by 2025.

Nigeria lags on breastfeeding coverage, with only 24 in 100 babies feeding on breastmilk compared with 80 in 100 in Ghana.

“That is the concern. Community health extension workers are at the grassroots and closer to the community—and are in rural areas where harmful practices are being practised.”

Harmful practices toward breastfeeding can be anything from late initiation of breastfeeding after birth to discarding colostrum.

“Most mothers know how to do breastfeeding, but there are technical problems associated with breastfeeding,” said Christiana Kwabe, a director and coordinator of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness and Adolescent Health.

“Nutrition tends to be more in primary health care areas because mothers don’t know how to do proper positioning and proper attachment. All the mothers know is to take their breast and give to babies. There are some nitty-gritties a mother should know. That’s why we are teaching [community health extension workers] so they know what they are doing.”