As the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) intensifies campaign towards the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria, some rural women in Rivers State says hunger and poverty are hampering their efforts to exclusively breastfeed their babies.
They spoke to The Tide in an interview at Chokota and Edegelem Communities in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to them, the programme will succeed if mothers are able to feed well during child bearing, adding that nursing mothers need to be given proper care, not only by their husbands but also by the government to enable them have the strength to exclusively breastfeed their babies.
A native of Cross River State, but resident in Chokota Community, Mrs Sandra Chiluba said, nursing mothers are having difficulties in breastfeeding their babies because of hardship.
Mrs Chiluba, who is a mother of Six, said she only exclusively breastfed the first child for six months, but the rest she could not, because of hunger.
According to her, nursing mothers need to be assisted by the government, stressing that (even mothers should be encouraged to have something doing after child birth).
She said a nursing mother who cannot eat well cannot breastfeed her baby.
Also speaking, a nursing mother, Mrs Angela Agu said she was trying her best but needed the support of the government.
Mrs Agu whose baby is three months old, said “things are too hard in Nigeria, government should help mothers by providing food stuffs and money for them”.
Also speaking Mrs Justina Joseph from Edegelem, Etche, said she stopped breastfeeding her baby after three months to enable her take care of her business.
According to her, because of the business she was doing, she was leaving her baby with neighbours to take care of.
She added that if she had had enough support, she would not have been leaving her baby with neighbours because of business.
Also speaking, Mrs Blessing Friday from Akwa Ibom State but resident in Igbo Etche, said she is in support of exclusive breastfeeding of babies.
Mrs Friday, who is a mother of two, said despite hardship at that time, she was able to give her two babies breast milk only for six months and encouraged other mothers to do the same, as the health of their babies should be more important to them than business.
In his reaction, Apostle Solomon Asukwo Udoh, said fathers should be blamed if their wives fail to exclusively breastfeed their babies for six months.
According to him, when a woman is pregnant, a father has nine months to prepare for the arrival of the baby, adding that “you must make provision for the child because, if the woman is not feeding well, she cannot breastfeed your child”.

By: John Bibor