AS the world marks World Breastfeeding Week, nursing mothers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have shared heartfelt accounts of the joys and hardships of exclusive breastfeeding, saying while the practice strengthens the bond between mother and child, it also comes with emotional, physical and financial challenges that require greater family, workplace and community support.
The mothers, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja, called for policies and practical interventions that would enable more women to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the recommended six months.
For first-time mother, Amina Ibrahim, the early days of motherhood were filled with anxiety after her newborn struggled to latch properly.
“I thought it would come naturally, but my baby struggled to latch in the first few days. I cried almost every night because I felt I was failing as a mother,” she said.
According to Ibrahim, consistent encouragement from nurses and emotional support from her husband helped her overcome the initial difficulties, allowing her to successfully breastfeed her baby exclusively for six months.
Working mothers also highlighted the tension between breastfeeding and returning to their jobs.
A banker and mother of a six-month-old baby, Blessing Okafor, said the absence of breastfeeding-friendly facilities in her workplace nearly forced her to abandon exclusive breastfeeding.
“My office has no breastfeeding room, so it became a daily struggle. Sometimes I worried my baby wasn’t getting enough breast milk,” she said.
Her experience underscores the difficulties many working mothers face in balancing employment with recommended infant feeding practices.
For a mother of twins, Hauwa Sani, physical exhaustion and the rising cost of maintaining a nutritious diet made the breastfeeding journey particularly demanding.
“Breastfeeding two babies at the same time was not easy at all. I hardly get enough sleep, and I have to eat well to keep producing milk. Without my family’s support, I don’t think I would have managed through,” she said.
Beyond mothers, fathers also have a critical role to play in ensuring successful breastfeeding, according to Habib Ismail, a father of two.
“My job is to support my wife by helping with the baby and household chores. When fathers provide emotional and practical support, mothers are more likely to continue breastfeeding in spite of challenges,” he said.
A retired nurse at General Hospital, Garki, Safiya Sulaiman, stressed that exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life provides all the nutrients an infant requires while protecting babies against infections and reducing the risk of malnutrition.
She urged employers, families and communities to create enabling environments for breastfeeding mothers by adopting flexible workplace policies, providing adequate maternity leave and increasing public awareness about the importance of breastfeeding.
Sulaiman also advised mothers experiencing breastfeeding challenges to seek assistance from trained healthcare professionals instead of abandoning exclusive breastfeeding due to temporary setbacks.
As activities marking World Breastfeeding Week observed annually from 1 to August 7, continue, many mothers across the country said awareness campaigns alone are not enough, insisting that sustained support at home, in workplaces and within communities is essential to help mothers breastfeed successfully and give every child the healthiest possible start in life.
It is in this light that the Maternal Accountability Mechanism in Kaduna Initiative (KADMAM) called on governments, healthcare institutions and other stakeholders to strengthen support systems that enable mothers to initiate breastfeeding early, exclusively breastfeed for the first six months, and continue breastfeeding alongside complementary feeding as recommended.
The Co-Chair of KADMAM, Garba Muhammad, made the call during a news conference on Tuesday in Kaduna to commemorate the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week.
Muhammad described breastfeeding as one of the most effective and affordable interventions for improving maternal and child health, noting that exclusive breastfeeding provides infants with essential nutrients and antibodies needed for healthy growth and development.
“Breastfeeding protects babies against common childhood illnesses, enhances cognitive development, and significantly reduces infant mortality. Continued breastfeeding, alongside appropriate complementary feeding up to two years old and beyond, also contributes to better health outcomes for both mother and child,” he said.
He, however, noted that despite progress in promoting exclusive breastfeeding, many mothers continued to face significant barriers, including inadequate family and workplace support, misinformation, limited access to skilled breastfeeding counselling and prevailing socio-economic challenges.
According to him, overcoming these challenges requires sustained investment in quality maternal, newborn and child health services, stronger community engagement, and full implementation of policies that protect and promote breastfeeding.
“As an accountability platform committed to improving maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health and nutrition outcomes in the state, KADMAM calls for support to ensure mothers initiate breastfeeding early. The government, healthcare institutions, employers, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, the media and development partners all have a role to play in supporting mothers,” he said.
He also encouraged families and communities to create enabling environments where nursing mothers could breastfeed confidently and without discrimination.
“Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding is a collective responsibility and a strategic investment in healthier children, healthier mothers and a healthier society. Together, let us strengthen what works and ensure that every child has a sustainable start in life through optimal breastfeeding,” he said.
As activities marking World Breastfeeding Week continue across Nigeria, mothers, healthcare professionals and advocates agree that awareness campaigns must be matched with practical support at home, in workplaces and within communities to enable more women to breastfeed successfully and give every child the healthiest possible start in life.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.