Best Breastfed baby Emerges in Niger state
Justina Asishana – Minna
Four months old Fatima Abdulkarim has emerged as the best breastfed baby in Niger state in a breastfeeding competition organized by the Niger State Ministry of Health.
Abdulkarim was announced on Thursday during the flag-off of the 2023 World Breastfeeding Week by the Wife of the Niger state Governor, Hajiya Fatima Umar Bago.
Abdulkarim was said to have gotten 32.5 points out of 36 beating 10 other babies who participated in the competition.
Baby Salihu Ibrahim emerged second while Baby Musa Yusuf emerged third in the competition.
The Niger state Chairperson of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Anna Simon said that the criteria used include age as all the babies in the competition were within the age range of four months, weight, immunization status, state of hair, eyes and palm and the alertness of the babies.
She explained that three judges carefully screened the babies and gave them scores on each criterion.
The Wife of the Niger state Governor, Hajiya Fatima Umar Bago commended the Ministry for the initiative saying that it would encourage women to breastfeed their children and improve exclusive breastfeeding in the state.
She said that breastfeeding would reduce the burden of malnutrition and child-killer diseases calling for the government and employers of labor to make workplaces breastfeeding-friendly in terms of infrastructure and policy drive.
Bago said she would begin advocating for the implementation of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life, continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary food for up to two years and beyond, and extension of maternity leave from three months to six months.
She then stressed that infant formula is not equivalent to breast milk adding that women should not be embarrassed about breastfeeding in public places.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Mohammed Gana urged that academic pursuit or employment should not intervene with women exclusively breastfeeding their babies adding that it would save them from malnutrition and other child-killer diseases.
END