Sunday Tafida Gambo, a father of three children in Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State said that he used to spend substantial sums of money on providing necessary lactation that could provide a balanced diet for his his wife during pregnancy for her to have enough breast milk in order for us to achieve exclusive breastfeeding after delivery for the healthy growth of the newborn.
Gambo, a barber in Bauchi, lamented that though some years back things were less expensive compared to nowadays, noted that for a woman to get her breast milk boosted, the husband must spend a lot of money to provide his wife with rich food ingredients as a build-up to have enough breast milk for feeding the newborn.
Gambo said before his wife gave birth, he would always ensure that she attained all the needed ante-natal care in a routine health facility visited especially during pregnancy by supporting her in every way possible.
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“I ensure that energy-giving food is made available for my wife to look healthy. I used to spend everything I got from my business every day just to see my family looking good and healthy.
“You know the way things are now, we are not talking about saving money, things are expensive, I prefer spending a lot on good food than spending on drugs because having nutrient-dense food is a drug itself.
“Any time I don’t have enough money to get those food items, we buy soya beans, groundnut, and millet to make tom-brown for my wife to be using it in order to produce good milk for the child.
“You can go to my house and see the difference, my wife and the child are both looking healthy because of what they are eating, I hardly take them to the hospital unless for immunization.
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“If my wife gives birth, I close shop for a while to do some domestic works such as boiling water and cooking food for her, among others. If I have the opportunity of going to shop that day, I go very late and close early just because to go and continue from where I stopped”, Gambo said.
Shedding more light on exclusive breastfeeding for the newborn, Philomena Irene, Nutrition Specialist at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that exclusive breastfeeding is the first immunization which is safe, affordable and environmentally- -friendly.
She noted that it protects the child’s antibodies, tasking the media as change agents, to continue to use their writing skills to change the perception of the people towards the practice of exclusive breastfeeding to improve the well-being of the children.
She however stated that there was a need to bridge the gap in the Bauchi Field Office and the entire Northern part of the Country to ensure a healthy society.
