By Mary Agidi

“Across Nigeria, most mothers do breastfeed. But too few do it the right way. Only one in three babies are put to the breast within the first hour of birth. Only three in ten babies are exclusively breastfed for six full months — no water, no formula, no solid food, just breastmilk alone.”

The above was an excerpt from the statement of the Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Lagos, Celine Lafoucriere, to mark the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week.

The first week in August every year is dedicated to advocating for exclusive breastfeeding due to the importance of breast milk to the development of a child.

As recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), newborn babies are to be breastfed exclusively for the first six months without water, food, or any other liquids except medicines.

Exclusive breastfeeding is proven to provide several benefits for babies and mothers, including the provision of nutrients such as protein, fat, vitamins, and antibodies. It also lowers the rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

It is also linked to a reduced risk of childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life and supports healthy brain development.

“Breastmilk is the first vaccine every baby receives. It protects against sickness. It builds a stronger brain. It gives a child the best possible start in life. And it costs nothing,” says Lafoucriere.

Benefits of breastfeeding to mothers

For mothers, exclusive breastfeeding is said to aid uterus contraction and help it return to its pre-pregnancy size faster.

It also reduces postpartum bleeding, burns extra calories that can support post-pregnancy weight loss, and is believed to lower the long-term risk of breast and ovarian cancers. It can also delay the return of menstruation, although it is not a reliable contraceptive method.

Despite the known health benefits that exclusive breastfeeding offers both children and mothers, adherence to the practice is beginning to decline among nursing mothers across Nigeria.

According to UNICEF’s recent data, only one in three babies are put to the breast within the first hour of birth, while only three in ten babies are exclusively breastfed for six full months in Nigeria.

Survey reveals gaps in exclusive breastfeeding practice

In an online survey conducted by The Hope among mothers across Lagos, Ondo, Kwara, Ogun, Kaduna, and Osun states, 64.7 per cent of respondents were public workers, while 35.3 per cent were non-salary earners.

The survey revealed that 82 per cent claimed to have practised exclusive breastfeeding for at least one or two of their children. Meanwhile, only 47 per cent breastfed their babies within one hour after birth.

The 17.6 per cent who could not sustain six months of exclusive breastfeeding mentioned reasons such as poor lactation, multiple births, babies sleeping immediately after delivery, and caesarean section.

Those who practised exclusive breastfeeding explained that they embraced it based on the information they received about its benefits to both children and mothers during antenatal services.

“I made that decision following repeated counselling from health workers and the results I saw from other babies who were exclusively breastfed,” one respondent said.
“Because babies that are exclusively breastfed do not often fall sick,” another respondent added.

Challenges confronting nursing mothers

However, practising exclusive breastfeeding comes with various challenges, according to the women who observed it.

Meanwhile, some states, such as Lagos and Ondo, have approved six months of maternity leave for nursing mothers, which is the exact stipulated period needed to carry out exclusive breastfeeding.
But has this really helped improve the practice?

While the effects of exclusive breastfeeding differ among mothers, depending on individual circumstances, the nature of their jobs, the kind of support available, and the environment they find themselves in determine the level of challenges they face.

Some of the effects highlighted by the mothers include:
“Eating more food than usual; loss of weight; carrying babies around after three months of maternity leave; tiredness, late sleep, and lateness to work.”

Regardless of these challenges, they claimed to be resilient and determined to observe exclusive breastfeeding.

Lack of support, economic hardship threaten breastfeeding

Factors identified as contributing to the decline in exclusive breastfeeding include lack of husband support, non-availability of crèches at workplaces, interference from family members who encourage feeding newborns with herbal drinks, husbands’ impatience to resume breast sucking, and economic hardship affecting mothers’ ability to purchase adequate food.

Contributing to this, a Nigerian father in his 60s, Mr Chris Akingbade, said: “The modern society, the economic pressure on the family unit to meet its financial needs, civilisation, inadequate healthcare facilities, and awareness are parts of the problems that have reduced the quality time mothers spend breastfeeding their infants.

“Also, men contribute much to the pressure on mothers and scarcity of time to breastfeed infants. Lots of men have become ‘contestants’ with infants and inadvertently cajole their wives to make an early end to breastfeeding their babies.

“I know in the days of old, when there was no food scarcity and less economic pressure on families, nursing mothers used to have more time to breastfeed and nurse their children.”

Working mothers adopt coping strategies

Some mothers interviewed by The Hope affirmed that it is possible for working mothers to practise exclusive breastfeeding depending on the nature of their jobs.

Some whose state governments are yet to approve six months of maternity leave said they navigated the challenges by expressing breast milk for their babies after the expiration of the three-month maternity leave.

On why some women refuse to breastfeed their babies appropriately, respondents attributed it to busy schedules, health conditions, fear of breast sagging, poor lactation, inadequate food supply, cultural beliefs that babies must be given water, and lack of proper guidance and awareness.

While 52.9 per cent of the sampled mothers identified sagging as one of the negative effects of breastfeeding on them, 23.5 per cent claimed it causes stretch marks on the breast, while 35.4 per cent said they did not observe any changes in their breasts.

Achieving exclusive breastfeeding through collective efforts

To ensure that mothers breastfeed their babies appropriately, stakeholders must provide adequate support.

“But a mother cannot do this alone,” says Lafoucriere, the UNICEF Lagos Chief Field Officer.

“She needs a workplace that gives her time and space to breastfeed. She needs a health worker who tells her the truth about formula marketing. She needs her own mother, her husband, her mother-in-law, her pastor, her Imam, standing behind her, not questioning her.”

Lafoucriere emphasised the need for every employer to give nursing mothers breaks and privacy required for breastfeeding.

“To every health worker, put that baby to the breast within the first hour, every time. To every family member, support her, don’t second guess her.
“And to every mother feeding her child right now, alone in the quiet hours of the night, we see you. You are giving your child their first and best gift. UNICEF, its partners, and your government stand with you,” she asserted.

The mothers, on their part, advocated for:
“Every government should grant six months maternity leave; provision of crèche or daycare centres in offices and places of work; sensitisation and awareness programmes; support for women after childbirth to comfortably carry out the six-month exclusive breastfeeding.”

“Every organisation, including the private sector, should either approve six months maternity leave or provide a standard crèche where nursing mothers can keep their babies while at work and still be able to breastfeed them as required,” one mother said.

Breast sagging myth as a factor responsible for decline in breastfeeding

Meanwhile, there are several opinions and research studies on whether long-term breastfeeding of babies is responsible for breast sagging, as claimed by some mothers.
Breast sagging, medically known as ptosis, is linked to many lifestyle factors, including weight fluctuations arising from multiple weight loss or gain.

According to a 2013 research study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, ptosis, often experienced after childbirth, results from changes brought about by pregnancy-related stretching, not breastfeeding.

Other lifestyle factors listed include genetics, which causes loss of skin elasticity and collagen over time as people age; larger breast size; number of pregnancies (including miscarriages); and smoking.

As the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week, was marked with the theme: “Breastfeeding for a sustainable start in life: strengthen what works.” stakeholders have been urged to provide coordinated action to ensure that families have the support and enabling environments needed to make breastfeeding possible.