Health authorities in Bauchi State have urged women to embrace exclusive breastfeeding, dismissing the widespread belief that nursing babies causes breasts to sag.
The Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Rilwanu Muhammad, gave the reassurance during the flag off of the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week in Bauchi, where he described exclusive breastfeeding as one of the most effective and affordable ways to protect infants against malnutrition while also safeguarding mothers’ health.
“Breastfeeding your children will not make your breasts to fall or sag. Whether you want or not, with age, your breasts will sag. It is better you allow babies to suck and receive blessings from God,” Muhammad said.
He explained that breast milk serves as a baby’s first source of nutrition, medicine and immunisation, helping to build immunity against diseases while reducing the risk of childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and respiratory infections. He also noted that breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast, cervical and ovarian cancers in women.
The health official attributed Nigeria’s high burden of malnutrition to poverty, inflation and inadequate knowledge about nutrition, stressing that proper maternal nutrition directly benefits newborns.
Muhammad said the state government, through the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Weeks, provides essential healthcare services, including Vitamin A supplementation, deworming tablets, antenatal care, immunisation, family planning and nutrition education, with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Also speaking, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office in Bauchi, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, called for stronger support for breastfeeding, noting that while more than nine out of every 10 mothers in the state breastfeed their children, only 26 per cent exclusively breastfeed for the first six months, while just 12 per cent initiate breastfeeding within the first hour after birth.
She warned against giving newborns water, honey or herbal mixtures before six months, saying such practices expose infants to infections and undermine the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.
According to Rafique, this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, themed, “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works,” highlights the need to reinforce proven interventions that improve child nutrition and survival.
She commended the Bauchi State Government for approving six months of paid maternity leave and allocating N500 million as counterpart funding for the Child Nutrition Fund, describing both measures as significant steps towards improving exclusive breastfeeding and child health outcomes.
Rafique urged fathers, families, employers, healthcare workers and government institutions to provide practical support for nursing mothers, insisting that breastfeeding is a shared responsibility that requires collective action to ensure every child receives the healthiest possible start in life.
