MEN have been advised to keep away
from their wives’ breasts while they are breast feeding their children to avoid
inflicting wounds on the breasts and exposing the children to infection, this advice
was giving during this year’s breast feeding week, tagged ‘Breast Feeding,
Close to Mother”.
The Cross River State Commissioner
for Health who gave the advice while flagging- off the 2013 Breast Feeding Week
at Akpabuyo local Government Area of the state on Tuesday, state that ‘’men
sharing their wives’ breasts while they are breast feeding could inflict wound
on the breasts and if the woman is HIV positive, the child could be exposed to
the infection.’’
Professor Oyo Ita who was represented
by the Director Nutrition of the Ministry of Health, Mrs Regina Adie called
on the women to practice exclusive breast feeding because it has been proven
that beast milk contains 80% water and 20% minerals that are essential for the
child’s growth.
“The World Health Organisation, the
United Nation International Children Educational Fund, and
other renowned world agencies have carried out studies and it has proven that
breast milk is the best in keeping the child healthy, strong and happy”.
The commissioner said that a child
that is exclusively fed on breast milk for six months would at some point
die out of thirst is not true because beast milk contains enough water to keep
the child happy and satisfied. “Some time ago, we came here and had a
meeting with the men and called on them to support their wives to carry
out exclusive breast feeding for their children and the men said no because the
children would die from the thirst for water, but that is not true”.
The Health Commissioner said that the
relationship between the mother and the child becomes stronger when the mother
breast feeds the baby exclusively for six months.
“If you look at the face of your baby
during breast feeding, you would see joy and satisfaction on the face and that
brings the child closer to the mother”.
The Chairman of Akpabuyo Local
Government Area, Mrs Rosemary Effiong, who was represented by the Secretary of
Council, Mr Edem Okon said “We in
Akpabuyo do not want to have children who would put unnecessary pressure on our
health facilities, so let every mother listen and obey the instruction of
the focal person on breast feeding”. She also that the Local Government would
continue to offer the needed support to mothers through financial empowerment
to enable them feed well to breast feed their children.
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