28th August, 2017
Mrs. Anthonette Akeh, a Matron at the Sacred Heart Hospital Obudu, Cross River, has advised nursing mothers to adapt to exclusive breastfeeding.
Akeh gave the advice on Monday.
The matron noted that exclusive breastfeeding was the best way for nursing mothers to breastfeed their babies for optimal benefits.
According to her, exclusive breastfeeding helps in the best growth and development of a child mentally, emotionally and physically.
She said that breastfeeding would prevent the baby from childhood diseases such as diarrhoea, noting that the practice will also help in ensuring psychological and physical bonding between mother and child.
Akeh noted that exclusive breastfeeding was beneficial to nursing mothers because it helped in maintaining their weight and could aid family planning by delaying menstruation.
According to Mrs. Juliana Onuh, an Abuja-based nutritionist, breast milk is complete with all the nutrients a baby needs including water.
She said that breast milk contains 80 per cent of water, adding that a breastfed baby required no additional water.
Onuh noted that some nursing mothers do not breastfeed exclusively because they believe it would flatten their breast.