Exclusive breastfeeding among women in rural communities in the Upper West Region is on the decline, according to a baseline study conducted by the Community Aid for Rural Development (CARD) Ghana, an NGO.
The study which involved women from 33 communities in the Nadowli-Kaleo District in a focus group discussion revealed that due to poor nutrition, hazardous work and inadequate knowledge on exclusive breastfeeding practices, most of the women did less breast feeding and rather introduced the babies to early feeding.
Some of the women during the interaction with the implementers of the project dubbed, “Maternal and neonatal health”, said exclusive breastfeeding was not possible because it deprived the mother of her energy as they themselves were underfed.
“We work hard to fend for the children; farming, burning of charcoal and fetching firewood for sale are jobs that require energy; we sometimes stay in the bush or market throughout the day without food so how do we produce enough breastmilk?” a respondent queried.
Another mother said that exclusive breastfeeding was impossible because the breast milk was not sufficient for the baby so they needed to introduce the babies to meals to support their growth.
“Sometimes the mothers themselves work so hard on empty stomach so that they do not have enough energy to breastfeed so the only possible way to sustain the baby is to include solid food in their diet,” she lamented and said if the men supported them substantially they would be able to carry out the exclusive breastfeeding as being preached.
Responding to their concerns, Executive Director of Card Ghana, Ms Leenat Abdul-Rahaman, with the help of the personnel from the Ghana Health Service educated the women on proper breastfeeding habits, timely breastfeeding as well as breast hygiene.
The Regional Health Promotion Officer, Mr John Maakpe, when contacted on the issue, confirmed the worrying situation and said most women in rural areas had very busy schedules as they fend for themselves and sometimes left the babies at home to feed on cooked food.
He explained that coupled with myths surrounding exclusive breastfeeding, many babies in the rural areas were deprived of adequate breastmilk per day compared to their counterparts in town.
“Sometimes the breastmilk was not even nutritious as the mother herself does not enjoy a balanced diet; there is also this myth that breastmilk alone cannot satisfy the baby and another which states that colostrum which is very essential for the baby is the dirty part of the breastmilk and must be squeezed out before breastfeeding begins,” he highlighted.
He advised lactating mothers to feed well on nutritious diet in order to produce enough breastmilk for their baby’s consumption so that there was enough breast milk at least for the first six months.
Mr Maakpe reiterated that the breast milk was necessary for the physical and intellectual development of the baby and said a child who enjoyed exclusive breast feeding was healthier than his counterparts who did not.
He advised that babies be introduced to the breast immediately after birth if the mother was in good condition, even if the breastmilk was not flowing at the time so that the nerves in the body were stimulated to produce the milk.
FROM LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, WA
