Panelists at a two-day strategic meeting in Kaduna have stressed the need for the provision of creches in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state, to encourage lactating mothers to breastfeed during working hours.
They made the call Monday in Kaduna, at the dialogue meeting, organised by the state’s Planning and Budget Commission (PBC), with support from UNICEF.
One of the panelists, Chinwe Ezeife, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, said that breast milk contained everything a baby needed for the first six months.
She added that breast milk composition changed according to babies’ changing needs, especially during the first month of life.
Ezeife therefore urged Kaduna MDAs to ensure provision of creches for babies to enjoy uninterrupted six months of breastfeeding by their mothers while at working places.
She stressed that UNICEF was working towards ensuring the provision of creches at all the MDAs becomes a reality.
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Similarly, another panellist, the Project Manager of Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria, (ANRiN), Dr. Zainab Muhammad-Idris, said that breast milk provided optimal nutrition for babies.
She noted that it had the right amount of nutrients and easily digested as it’s readily available at birth.
Muhammad-Idris, a medical practitioner, added that breastfeeding also reduced disease burden for mothers.
She, however, highlighted that to sustain breastfeeding to the appropriate time, creches must be established in MDAs.
Mrs Mary Ocholi, a teacher at Essence International School, said that the school approved the six months maternity leave and was working towards establishing a creche for breastfeeding mothers (Teachers).
Giving credence to these, some lactating mothers who were also panelists at the events, described the benefits of having creches at working places.
They claimed that b
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