The Anambra State Government has disclosed that plans are underway to establish crèches in all government offices to promote exclusive breastfeeding in the state.
The Executive Secretary of the Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mrs. Chisom Uchem, announced this initiative during a workshop for heads of Primary Healthcare Centers in Akwa on Wednesday.
The workshop was held in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Anambra currently achieves only about 20 percent of exclusive breastfeeding, primarily due to many nursing mothers belonging to the working class.
“The idea of the crèches is to make breastfeeding work in workplaces. There are enablers to make it work. For instance, there is a need for government to have crèches in all government facilities.”
“This means that anywhere a breastfeeding mother is working, there should be a conducive environment for her to keep the baby and breastfeed on demand.”
She said the initiative aims to address the challenges faced by working mothers who wish to practice exclusive breastfeeding, particularly during the mandatory six months after childbirth.
“We don’t want to have mothers complaining that the reason they are not breastfeeding their babies is because they have to work or that they want to absent themselves from work to be able to breastfeed their babies,” Uchem added.
Dr. Placid Uliagbafusi, the Director of Disease Control and Immunization at the Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, stressed the importance of enforcing the Marketing Breast Milk Substitutes Code.
He called for regulations on the sale of baby formula in the country to encourage exclusive breastfeeding, emphasising that breast milk is the best food for infants as it helps prevent various diseases.
Uliagbafusi stated, “One of the challenges of exclusive breastfeeding is the continued violation of the international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes. The knowledge and lack of awareness of stakeholders have contributed to the gravity of violations in Nigeria.”
He highlighted the need for awareness campaigns and interventions to address this situation, concluding that effective sensitization of all stakeholders is crucial.
