Kaduna State Nutrition Officer emphasizes importance of optimal breastfeeding
By: Femi Mustapha
The Kaduna State Nutrition Officer, (SNO) Ramatu Haruna, has highlighted the significance of exclusive and continued breastfeeding during the first 1000 days of a child’s life.
According to her, optimal breastfeeding has a lasting impact on brain development, immunity, and child survival.
She made this assertion during a Town Hall meeting with stakeholders to mark the 2025 World Breastfeeding Day.
Mrs. Haruna noted that breastfeeding contributes to health and development, and that poor Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are a major contributor to the high burden of infant and childhood morbidity and mortality.
She stressed that optimal breastfeeding is the building block for human capital development and essential to child survival. Breast milk, she explained, contains all the necessary nutrients for growth and important antibodies that fight against diseases, making the child smarter.
The State Nutrition Officer commended the establishment of creches and lactating rooms for working mothers in some Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to sustain continuous breastfeeding practices. She called on men to support their lactating wives to practice optimal breastfeeding.
The Executive Director of Hope for Children Initiative (H4CC), Hajiya Hadiza Umar, highlighted some traditional and cultural practices that affect breastfeeding. She noted that colostrum, the first milk produced after childbirth, is often viewed with suspicion by some northern communities, who believe it is dirty or insufficient for the baby.
She also mentioned that newborns are often given water, herbal mixtures, or other liquids shortly after birth, which can interfere with exclusive breastfeeding.
Dr. Hauwa’u Yakubu Bako, Director, Centre for Nutrition Research and Innovation, emphasized that breast milk contains everything a baby needs for the first six months of life in the right proportions.
She added that breast milk composition changes according to a baby’s changing needs, especially during the first month of life.
The stakeholders urged parents and caregivers to prioritize optimal breastfeeding, citing its numerous benefits for child health and development.
They also called for increased support for breastfeeding mothers, particularly in the workplace, to ensure that they can continue to breastfeed their babies without any challenges.
