By Auwal Mohammad
Gombe (Nigeria) — The Director, Gombe State Hospital Services in Northeast Nigeria, Dr. James Emmanuel Mahadi, has said that nursing mothers living with HIV can exclusively breastfeed their babies like every woman.
Dr. Mahadi stated this at a round table with stakeholders in health sector in the state, organized by an NGO, Save the Children International to commemorate world breastfeed week in the state.
“The comfort that comes with breast feeding when we look at the healthy component that makes breast milk the best possible start we can give our young ones.
He said that protein; carbohydrates, fat, minerals, water and vitamins were some of the nutritional components in breast milk that enhanced healthy growth in children and breast milk also contained anti-bodies that protected the body from infections.
“Every child should be provided with breast milk because every child has a right to good nutrition and good health.
Dr. Mahadi added that breastfeeding is not a one-woman job and the Mothers need support from their families, health providers, communities, and governments to give their children the healthiest possible start to life, adding that breastfeeding protects children from illness, increases IQ, and creates a strong bond between mother and child.
Also speaking the state Field Manager of the organasation, Altine Lewi, urged mothers to adopt the six months period of exclusive breastfeeding of their new born babies.
She said exclusive breastfeeding would enhance the health of mothers and their children, as well as improve the immune system of the babies against killer diseases.
According the Save the Children leaflet with title ‘how Islam encourages exclusive breastfeeding practice’ written by Malam Kabiru Umar Maru, said Islam recognized the importance of the family and it established rules and guidelines that promote good family practices.
He said that family is built through the level contract of marriage the couple hopes to get children who are the future of the ummah, adding that children require adequate feeding to enable them be more productive and contribute to the society and the early day’s meal are very important to child’s growth.
Malam Maru said that Qur’an encourages the mother to breastfeed her child naturally, “Allah says: the mothers shall give suck to their children for 2 years, for those parents who desire to complete the term of sucking (Al-Bakarah 2:233) this is a command for mothers to breastfeed their children”, he said.
The Scholars also mentioned that one part of breastfeeding is obligatory, which is the yellow substance colostrum that is produced at the beginning of breastfeeding and medically to be of great benefit in building the immune system of the child.
