The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency (CRPHCDA) convened a crucial meeting in Calabar, Nigeria, with private healthcare professionals to underscore the significance of the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” as a cornerstone of maternal and newborn care. These ten steps, representing evidence-based practices for maternity and newborn services, are pivotal in supporting mothers to exclusively breastfeed their infants for the first six months of life, a practice with profound benefits for both mother and child. The meeting emphasized the critical role of healthcare providers in promoting and supporting breastfeeding, particularly within the context of working mothers who often face numerous challenges in balancing their professional responsibilities with their infant’s nutritional needs.
Dr. Vivien Mesembe Otu, the Director-General of CRPHCDA, addressed the gathering, highlighting the necessity of creating supportive environments within workplaces to enable breastfeeding mothers to successfully nurture their infants. She acknowledged the considerable obstacles that working mothers encounter in maintaining exclusive breastfeeding but expressed confidence that employer-supported policies could effectively mitigate these challenges. Emphasizing the importance of collaboration, Dr. Otu urged the healthcare professionals to actively engage in counseling and awareness campaigns that promote exclusive breastfeeding, underscoring its crucial role as a cost-effective strategy to combat malnutrition. This collaborative approach, she asserted, is indispensable for enhancing healthcare delivery and improving breastfeeding rates within the state.
The meeting further emphasized the profound health implications of exclusive breastfeeding, particularly in the context of malnutrition, a significant concern in many developing countries. Dr. Joan Ikobah, from the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Cross River Teaching Hospital, highlighted the “Zero Water Campaign,” a vital initiative aligned with the Global Breastfeeding Collective’s mission to increase global investment and policy changes to promote breastfeeding. Dr. Ikobah cautioned against the practice of giving water, other liquids, or solid foods to infants before the age of six months, emphasizing the substantial risks of contamination and malnutrition associated with these practices. She underscored the fact that breast milk itself is predominantly composed of water, thus adequately meeting the infant’s hydration needs.
The potential impact of adhering to the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” was further emphasized by Dr. Winifred Ogar, the Cross River State Nutrition Officer. She stated that implementing these steps could lead to a significant 50% increase in breastfeeding rates by 2025. This underscores the potential of these evidence-based practices to transform breastfeeding practices and improve child health outcomes. The distribution of calendars featuring information on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding to the private medical practitioners for display in their facilities was a key practical outcome of the meeting. This initiative aims to enhance awareness and provide readily available information for both healthcare providers and mothers seeking guidance on breastfeeding.
The meeting served as a critical platform to reinforce the importance of the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” as a cornerstone of maternal and newborn care. It underscored the vital role of healthcare professionals in advocating for and supporting breastfeeding mothers, particularly within the context of the workplace. The focus on the “Zero Water Campaign” and the potential for a substantial increase in breastfeeding rates through adherence to the “Ten Steps” further emphasizes the potential of these initiatives to significantly improve child health outcomes. The collaboration between UNICEF, CRPHCDA, and private healthcare professionals signifies a concerted effort to create a supportive environment for breastfeeding mothers and promote optimal infant nutrition practices within Cross River State.
The “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” represent a comprehensive framework designed to promote and support breastfeeding within healthcare facilities. These steps include: 1. Having a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all healthcare staff. 2. Training all healthcare staff in the skills necessary to implement this policy. 3. Informing all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding. 4. Helping mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth. 5. Showing mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they are separated from their infants. 6. Giving newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated. 7. Practicing rooming-in – allowing mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day. 8. Encouraging breastfeeding on demand. 9. Giving no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants. 10. Fostering the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and referring mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic. These steps are crucial in establishing and maintaining successful breastfeeding practices and improving infant health outcomes. The meeting in Calabar emphasized the importance of these steps in the context of Cross River State and highlighted the potential for their implementation to significantly improve breastfeeding rates.
