Wife of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Patience Umo Eno, on Wednesday gave out cash donations and gifts to no fewer than 500 nursing mothers in the state in commemoration of the World Breastfeeding Week which began globally on August 1st.
The 2024 breastfeeding week tagged ‘Closing the Gap: Break the Records, Break Barriers: Feeding Support For All, took place at Government House Banquet Hall, Uyo, with nursing mothers from all the 31 Local Government Areas of the State in attendance.
On the occasion, the Governor’s wife commended nursing mothers who are committed to exclusively breastfeeding their babies, describing such dedication as an exhibition of great love, care and selflessness.
Pastor Eno pledged her commitment to continue supporting breastfeeding mothers through regular sensitisation and empowerment programmes via her pet project, the Golden Initiative For All (GIFA).
“I commend the unwavering commitment and dedication of mothers to the breastfeeding practice. By giving your children the best possible start in life, you all have exhibited great love, care, and selflessness in bonding with your treasured children.
“Maternal and child health is one of the thematic areas of my Pet Project, the Golden Initiative For All, GIFA. I firmly believe that every child deserves a healthy start and breastfeeding is a vital part of this journey, hence my commitment to supporting breastfeeding mothers in our state through programmes like this, that provides a platform for breastfeeding mothers to connect with each other, gain knowledge and build a stronger community of women who understand that breast milk is a gift from God that provides optimal nutrition and boosts immunity,” she noted.
She said the Governor, Umo Eno is committed to ensuring that the healthcare facilities in the state are well equipped to provide proper care to nursing mothers across the state.
Setting the tone for the event, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr. Ini Adiakpan, noted that breastfeeding is essential as it highlights a wider thought for the future and health of children as well as exposes women to the strategies.
Dr. Adiakpan stated that the State Government has made provisions for laws and policies to favour breastfeeding mothers that are interested in raising healthy and wealthy children, with best practices, urging the women to implement the lessons learnt.
Presenting a keynote address on breastfeeding, Dr Christy Akwaowo said the week which is observed from 1st to 7th of August every year, advocates for breastfeeding as the ideal food for all infants which contains antibodies to protect the child, especially when they are fed exclusively and done as often as possible.
Dr Akwaowo mentioned benefits of breastfeeding to include faster post partum recovery, increased bonding between mother and child, a reduction in the risk of high blood pressure and breast and ovarian cancers. Other benefits include helping the children to build strong immunity, as well as serving as a natural population control method.
The highpoint of the event was the practical session on breastfeeding of babies by some of the mothers under the tutelage of a Senior Nursing Officer, Mrs Naomi Edidiong. The Akwa Ibom First Lady also presented gift packs and cash to the lactating mothers.