Men warned not to share wife’s breast while breast feeding

Men warned not to share wife’s breast
while breast feeding
on october 22, 2013 at 8:24 pm in health
BY EMMA UNA
CALABAR- MEN have been advised to keep away
from their wives’ breasts while they are breast
feeding their children to avoid inflicting wounds on
the breasts and exposing the children to infection.
Professor Angela Oyo Ita, the Cross River State
Commissioner for Health who gave the advice while
flagging- off the 2013 Breast Feeding Week at
Akpabuyo local Government Area of the state on
Tuesday, stated that men sharing their wives’
breasts while they are breast feeding could inflict
wound on the breasts and if the woman is HIV
positive, the child could be exposed to the infection.
Breast feeding mothers.
Professor Oyo Ita who was represented by the
Director Nutrition of the Ministry of Health, Mrs
Regina Adie called on the women to practice
exclusive breast feeding because it has been
proven that beast milk contains 80% water and 20%
minerals that are essential for the child’s growth.
“The World  Health Organisation,  the United Nation
International   Children Educational Fund, and other
renown world agencies have carried out studies
and it has proven that breast milk is the best in
keeping the child healthy, strong and happy”.
She said myths that a child that is exclusively fed
on breast milk for six months would at some point
die out of thirst is not true because beast milk
contains enough water to keep the child happy and
satisfied. “Some time ago, we came here and had a
meeting with the men and called on them to support
their wives to carry out exclusive breast feeding for
their children and the men said no because the
children would die from the thirst for water, but that
is not true”.
The Health Commissioner said the theme for this
year’s breast feeding week. ‘Breast Feeding, Close
to Mother”, was apt because the relationship
between the mother and the child becomes
stronger when the mother breast feeds the baby
exclusively for six months.
“If you look at the face of your baby during breast
feeding, you would see joy and satisfaction on the
face and that brings the child closer to the mother”.
Mrs Rosemary Effiong, the Chairman of Akpabuyo
Local Government Area said breast feeding keeps
children strong and free of health challenges and
“We in Akpabuyo do not want to have children who
would put unnecessary pressure on our health
facilities, so let every mother listen and obey the
instruction of the focal person on breast feeding”.
Mrs Effiong who was represented by the Secretary
of Council, Mr Edem Okon said the council would
continue to offer the needed support to mothers
through financial empowerment to enable them feed
well to breast feed their children.