THE GOODNESS OF MOTHER’S MILK

There are two important roles a mother’s breast milk plays in the growth of a child. It does not only enable the child grow physically, it makes the child grow mentally as well. Medical studies have shown that the first one year of breast feeding is for growth and if you extend it to the next year, it is for brain development. It is recommended that where it is possible, a baby should be breastfed for 18 months. That is why World Health Organisation, W.H.O., recommended six months of exclusive breast-feeding.

According to Mr. Ralph S. Olanrewaju, a medical doctor at the Mother and Child Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, “Breast-feeding is the baby’s best food and the only one that is tailor-made for the child. It also has many advantages.” According to him, “It is the first immunization for the baby, especially the first burst of milk that flows out of the mother’s breast.” Breast milk is also considered the living milk that contains glucose and other essential minerals in the right proportion for a new born child.

Breast milk is equally suitable for the nourishment of premature children. It is also important to initiate breast-feeding within the very first hours of birth. According to Abimbola Williams, a Doctor and member of the Newborn Child Health Adviser of the Save The Children, a United Kingdom based Non-Governmental Organisation, “Immediately after delivery, the baby should be put to breast, even before the mother is cleansed because it has other effects on the release of placenta.”

The importance of adequate breast-feeding of a child was emphasized in the national policy of infant and young child feeding in Nigeria that was prepared by the Federal Ministry of Health in 2005. The policy stipulates that adequate provision of nutrition during infancy and early childhood is a basic requirement for the development and promotion of optimum growth, health and behavior of the child. The period of birth to two years of age is recognized as a critical period for which adequate nutrition be provided for the child to achieve optimum development and full potential