Health
Relatives stop us from exclusively breastfeeding our babies — Gombe mothers
As the world marks the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week, some mothers in Gombe State have recounted the pressure they faced from relatives and community members in their efforts to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months, as recommended by health authorities to boost child survival.
The mothers, who spoke with PUNCH Healthwise during visits to some primary healthcare centres and private facilities in Gombe metropolis, said misconceptions about exclusive breastfeeding remained common, with some relatives and community members insisting that they introduce water and infant formula to their newborns before six months.
Health workers at the PHCs encourage mothers to begin breastfeeding within the first hour after birth and practise exclusive breastfeeding, urging them to resist pressure to introduce water or other liquids during the exclusive breastfeeding period.
Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months gives babies all the nutrients they need while protecting them against diarrhoea, pneumonia and malnutrition, some of the leading causes of death among children under five in Nigeria, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund.
“Continued breastfeeding alongside safe, nutritious complementary foods up to two years of age provides children with the best opportunity to survive, grow and thrive,” UNICEF added.
A mother, Mary Musa, said her mother-in-law initially supported her decision to exclusively breastfeed her baby but later insisted that the child be given water.
Musa said her mother-in-law based the decision on her own experience of raising children.
“My mother-in-law was supportive of my initial idea of exclusive breastfeeding. She insisted I must feed her grandchild with water because when she fed my husband and his siblings water, nothing happened to them. She saw no reason why I should starve her grandchild of water.
“After giving the baby water, the unnecessary crying stopped, so I continued feeding her water. I then noticed that my daughter stopped demanding breast milk. She drank more water than breast milk,” she said.
Na’ima Idris, from Sudania in Gombe, said increased awareness had helped her embrace exclusive breastfeeding for her third child after she failed to practise it with her first two children.
Idris, who spoke while attending antenatal care at the Town Maternity, said she had noticed a difference in the health of her third child.
“You can see the benefit in my child, as she is healthy. There is no unnecessary sickness. This is not my first child but my third. With the first two, I couldn’t do it. At that time, I was not enlightened.
“I had an idea about exclusive breastfeeding, but now I understand it better. Even their father agrees to exclusive breastfeeding because of the impact. My first two children have been falling sick, but this one is different.
“I’m a full-time housewife, so I have time for my family,” she said.
Mothers share benefits of exclusive breastfeeding
Nafisa Abdullahi, a resident of Jekadafari and mother of three who practised exclusive breastfeeding, said exclusive breastfeeding was essential for child development.
She said, “This week is very important in our lives because it educates and creates awareness. We can see the difference because of the awareness. Parents are seeing progress.
“I did exclusive breastfeeding for my three children. I didn’t encounter any challenge during exclusive breastfeeding. Women who are not doing it should start doing it because of the advantages.”
At the Tudunwada Primary Health Care Centre, another mother, Aishatu Ibrahim, said her nine-month-old baby was healthy after she exclusively breastfed the child for six months.
“I did six months of exclusive breastfeeding. You can see the baby is healthy. I didn’t experience challenges during the exclusive breastfeeding,” she said.
Similarly, Fatima Musa, a mother of a nine-month-old baby, said she had enjoyed the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.
“I did exclusive breastfeeding for six months, and I enjoyed the benefits in my child’s life,” she said.
Musa, however, said she faced criticism from members of her community who questioned why she was giving her child only breast milk.
She said, “They queried why I should give my son only breast milk and said that I would have issues, but I remained resolute and continued to do what I thought was best for him.”
Another mother, Aishatu Hussaini, said she also resisted pressure from people who wanted her to introduce water to her baby.
“I had a lot of people asking me to give water alongside breast milk, but I resisted them. I’m glad I didn’t listen to them because the result is there for them to see,” she said.
Early breastfeeding initiation
The Facility Manager of the Town Maternity Primary Health Care Centre, Zainab Chiroma, said health workers had continued to educate mothers on the importance of initiating breastfeeding soon after delivery and maintaining exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.
Chiroma said the first breast milk, known as colostrum, was particularly important to newborns.
She said, “This week is very important, especially for mothers, pregnant mothers and those who have delivered.
“The breastfeeding week is very important because they are encouraged to initiate breastfeeding after delivery. They need to put the baby on the breast and breastfeed with breast milk.
“The first breast milk is very important. It is the first immunisation and protects babies.”
She added that mothers were counselled on exclusive breastfeeding from birth to six months without introducing water, other liquids or medicines unless medically indicated.
“After that, you should give the mother health education on the importance of breastfeeding, especially exclusive breastfeeding from zero to six months, without any water or other liquid,” she said.
Chiroma identified inadequate knowledge and poor sensitisation as some of the reasons mothers continued to introduce water or other substances to newborns.
“Some may say it is due to lack of knowledge about the importance. That is a lack of knowledge and sensitisation. So, in the antenatal clinic, you educate the women to know what breast milk is and what the importance of breast milk is,” she said.
The facility manager also identified poor positioning and attachment during breastfeeding as challenges, particularly among first-time mothers.
“Especially for those having their first child, they do not know how to breastfeed the baby. They don’t know the criteria for breastfeeding the baby.
“We have good attachment and positioning. If they are not well attached and properly positioned, they may have problems with breastfeeding,” Chiroma said.
She further noted that economic hardship could affect maternal nutrition and make breastfeeding more challenging for some women.
“There is also the issue of a balanced diet. There are some foods that pregnant mothers and breastfeeding mothers need, but some of them may not be able to afford them. There are economic challenges,” she said.
Chiroma urged pregnant women to commence antenatal care early and continue attending until delivery.
“I advise mothers to come for early ANC and continue ANC up to delivery. Then I would advise them to have hospital delivery,” she said.
Misconceptions about exclusive breastfeeding
The Facility Manager of the Tudunwada PHCC, Ibrahim Sule, said health workers had continued to educate mothers on exclusive breastfeeding through antenatal clinics, immunisation sessions and other routine health talks.
He said the facility had also been monitoring breastfeeding practices among mothers during the breastfeeding week.
Sule said, “We normally, in our ANC, during the days of our ANC, do health talks on it. Even those doing routine immunisation, we all do it there. Not even during the week; we normally do this.”
He said one of the major misconceptions encountered among mothers was the belief that babies became thirsty and therefore needed water.
“The only thing that we hear is that to just give a child all the needs through only breast milk, they are saying that they are mostly thirsty, so they need water to drink. They believe that breast milk cannot satisfy them.
“So that’s why some of them are not doing it. They believe that they must give water to the child,” he said.
According to him, health workers counter the misconception by explaining that breast milk contains sufficient water when breastfeeding is done adequately.
“We tell them the importance of breast milk and tell them that breast milk contains water. The main part of breast milk is water. If the breast is given adequately and in the way it is supposed to be given, that child can be satisfied.
“Both thirst and hunger can be satisfied. It is very important. We tell them the importance of doing that,” Sule said.
He also warned about the potential risks associated with introducing unsafe water to infants.
“We are even telling them that in the process of giving that water, they can infect the child with so many things. In the process of giving that water, maybe the water is not potable for drinking. Even the process of giving that water can expose the child to infection,” he said.
Sule said the facility would continue to use antenatal care and immunisation sessions to dispel misconceptions and encourage mothers to practise exclusive breastfeeding.
He added that sustained community sensitisation was necessary because some mothers continued to receive conflicting advice from relatives and other members of the community.
World Breastfeeding Week, observed annually from August 1 to 7, is used to promote breastfeeding, raise awareness about its benefits and encourage families and communities to support mothers to breastfeed.
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