The Kwara Primary Health Care Development Agency on Wednesday advised nursing mothers in the state to breast-feed their babies exclusively for the first six months of life to curb unwarranted illnesses.
The Agency’s Executive Director, Dr Abimbola Folorunsho, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Omu-Aran, Kwara.
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According to her, exclusive breast-feeding will help to supply all the necessary nutrients in their proper proportion, and also protect the babies against allergies, sickness and obesity.
The medical doctor noted that there was the need to improve and promote breastfeeding, especially among nursing mothers, to make their children healthier, smarter and stronger.
She said that exclusive breastfeeding contributed a lot to the health and well-being of nursing mothers.
“It assists a lot in children spacing, as well as help babies maintain their normal weight after delivery.
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“Similarly, it helps to protect against diseases, infections and without fear of constipation, diarrhoea or stomach upset, because it is easily digested.”
She described exclusive breastfeeding as an unequal way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants.
“It is also an integral part of the reproductive process, with important implications for the health of mothers.
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“Exclusive breastfeeding reduces infant mortality, due to common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea or pneumonia, and helps for a quicker recovery during illness,” she said.
The medical doctor urged nursing mothers to desist from administering their newborns with herbs and concoctions to reduce the infant mortality rate to the barest minimum.
