Anambra NANNM Advocates Exclusive Breastfeeding, Routine Immunisation

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AWKA – The chairperson of the Anambra State Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) Mrs. Edith Onwuka, has stressed the need for exclusive breastfeeding immediately after child birth and subsequent routine immu­nisation for vaccinations against chronic childhood diseases.

Onwuka who spoke on the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week, stressed that the importance of exclusive breastfeeding to the newborn can not be overem­phasized as she believed that exclusive breastfeeding is an antidote to childhood infections and illnesses.

Onwuka explained that exclu­sive breastfeeding meant that a newborn baby should be fed solely on breast milk for the first six months of life. She also stat­ed that the World Breastfeeding Week is a week mapped out for the sensitisation and orientation of mothers, fathers and everyone on the importance of breastfeed­ing to infants.

The state NANNM chairper­son who listed the benefits of ex­clusive breastfeeding to include provision of natural immunity for the child, provision of nat­ural antibodies to help fight infections, reduction of child­hood illnesses, strengthening of the baby’s immune system, protection against malnutrition, reduction of risks of chronic diseases and supports healthy development of the brain, not­ed that exclusive breastfeeding practices are beneficial to the mother, the family and the com­munity at large.

She stated that exclusive breastfeeding helps to reduce bleeding after child delivery. That it also helps to lower the risks of breast and ovarian cancer as well as it delays the return of fertility, stressing that exclusive breastfeeding can serve as a fam­ily planning method.

According to her, the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding to the community is that it would help to reduce environmental pol­lution and incessant throwing away of containers that serve as breeding points for mosqui­toes, if every mother adopted exclusive breastfeeding for their babies.

Mrs. Onwuka said that breast­feeding brings about bonding be­tween the child and other family members because it would feel loved and behaves normal too. She added that the role of health workers working in the labour ward is to ensure that they ini­tiated breastfeeding within the first thirty minutes of life.