The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) Bauchi State Chapter, has donated wrappers, soaps detergents and toys to nursing mothers in Bauchi.
Mrs Bulak Afsa, the Chairperson of NAWOJ in Bauchi, said the gesture was part of activities to commemorate the World Breastfeeding Week in Bauchi, according to News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.
She said it was part of the association’s effort to encourage pregnant and nursing mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding.
“For infants to survive, grow and develop properly, they require the right proportion of nutrients.
“Breast milk is rich in nutrients and anti-bodies. It also contains the right quantity of fat, sugar, water and protein.
”These nutrients are major prerequisites for the health and survival of the baby,” she said.
Bulak explained that when the baby is exclusively breastfed, the immune system is strengthened.
“This enables the child to live without the risk of life-threatening illnesses, like pneumonia and diarrhea, among other infections,” she said
The NAWOJ chairperson said reports indicate that babies, who are not exclusively breast fed for the first six months of life are 15 times more likely to die from pneumonia.
This is compared to newborns that are breast fed exclusively for the first six months after birth.
Bulak called on the mothers to feed their children with their breast milk from zero to six months for the baby’s health.
She added that the breast of a mother contains 90 per cent of water, saying that a mother does not need to give her baby water in the first six months.
In his remarks, the Head of Disease Control, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Agency, Alhaji Usman Muhammad Shehu, also urged mothers to adhere to the advice.
He also called on the mothers to inform others to regularly take their children for immunisation from birth to nine months.
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