… Calls On Relevant Stakeholders To Support Working Nursing Mothers
The Wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu has emphasised the need for mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding of their babies, highlighting its positive effect on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Nutrition, thereby calling on relevant stakeholders to support working mothers in achieving this aim.
Dr. Sanwo-Olu stated this during an Advocacy Walk in commemoration of the World Breast Feeding Week from Massey Street Children’s Hospital, Lagos Island to Ita Faaji market, advising mothers to breastfeed their babies exclusively for at least six months after delivery as this will reduce morbidity, strengthen the immune system and protect the baby against serious diseases.
She stated that the theme for this year’s celebration “Enable Breastfeeding: Making a Difference for Working Parent,” is apt and timely as statistics by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that more than half a billion working women are not given essential maternity protections in national laws and just 20% of countries require employers to provide employees with paid breaks and facilities for breastfeeding or expressing milk.
According to her, “The statistics also highlighted that fewer than half of infants under six months of age are exclusively breastfed. This is indeed worrisome and as stakeholders, it calls for our urgent intervention towards supporting nursing mothers and providing opportunities for them to have access to a minimum of 18 weeks of maternity leave or preferably extending beyond six months for both private and public institutions across the State”.
“Breastfed babies are healthier, and have lower disease and death rates, therefore, as residents, we must collectively work towards strengthening the capacity of breastfeeding mothers, providing and sustaining a breastfeeding-friendly environment”, she added.
The First Lady further stressed that the State Government had already implemented far-reaching policies to ensure that nursing mothers can breastfeed their babies, including six-month maternity leave for mothers, while the fathers are also entitled to paternity leave to support their wives.
Dr. Sanwo-Olu assured that the State Government will continue to implement policies and reforms that will consistently engender a conducive atmosphere for nursing mothers to breastfeed their babies optimally, thereby calling on private and public stakeholders to take a cue from this year’s theme and be responsive.
The ideals of World Breastfeeding Week, which is commemorated annually, are to raise awareness and galvanise action globally, rekindle the consciousness of critical stakeholders on the need to sustainably encourage and support nursing mothers to breastfeed their babies exclusively.
