United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has taken its awareness campaign to rural communities in Cross River state.
This time around, the campaign was in Ikot Offiong Ambai Primary Health Centre in Akpabuyo Local Government Area (LGA) of the state at weekend.which was the focal point of the awareness campaign of exclusive breasts feeding, family planning and heath talk as it concerned women and children.
The State Nutrition Officer (SNO), Dr Winifred Ogar enlightened the women on proper positions used in breastfeeding saying the armpit hold and cradle hold are key important positions for women during breastfeeding.
She encouraged women to always eat two extra meals a day to enhance breastfeeding and charged men to always provide the money to enable the women get food and feed well.
Ogar said, “it is easy to breast feed twins using these methods especially the armpit hold and it is important mothers must feed well and drink much water, position yourself well you will not have any problem breastfeeding your child.
“The initial initiation of breastfeeding a child that is the first one hour immediately after delivery is very important for child development and we encourage health workers to do the clean up of the baby immediately after delivery while that process is on instead of taking the baby away for cleaning before breastfeeding”.
Bteastfeeding women at the ceremony
On some stereotypes on breastfeeding, she said, “let nobody deceive you, breastfeeding a child is the mandate God has given mothers. If you refuse to breast feed a child exclusively for six months and continuous breastfeeding for two years and above, you are depriving that child of his or her right”.
The Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) Coordinator in the State Primary Health Care , Mrs. Margaret Ananshie further enlighten the women on breastfeeding saying, “this early initiation of breastfeeding that is one hour at birth breastfeeding is very important because it improves bonding, helps in early detachment of the placenta and helps mothers to bleed minimally”.
Mrs Gift Effiong Edem who is in charge of family planning in the Centre, said “in this community, we gather women to talk about breast feeding, family planning and associated diseases”.
She said “family planning helps the women to control their birth rate as they do not give birth carelessly, they are very happy and their husbands are very happy because they have limited number of children”.
According to her, “it is very effective and safe. It reduces death rates and helps women to plan”.
On her part Mrs Esu Antigha the LGA Focal Person, said exclusive breast feeding means giving a child only breast milk for a period of six months without water as it helps the child to grow and develop faster.
Mrs Atim Okon, a senior staff in the Centre also said the essence of the programme was to create awareness for the women as it concerns women and children in the rural communities.
Earlier the women had chanted a motivational song, “My Mummy, Mummy give me your breast! If you give me your breast, I will be a good child!! I will never ever disappoint you. Mummy give me your breast… heralded the commencement of the programme.
