Ugwu Faith Ugoma is a first time mother, and her baby is just four months old. During the flag off of this year’s breastfeeding week in Abuja, I interviewed Ugoma who told me about her challenges on her decision to feed her baby with breast milk only, for the first six months of the baby’s life.
In this interview, Ugoma, a first time mother who is giving exclusive breast milk to her four month old baby, tells me about the discouragements and supports she has received so far. MOROOPH UGOMAHow old is your baby? Four months old.Have you stopped breastfeeding her? No, she’s still breastfeeding.When do you intend to stop? I’m still breastfeeding her, after six months, then I’ll start giving her water.Has she ever been sick since you started breastfeeding her? No.Did anybody appeal to you or how did you decide that you’ll breastfeed her for six months? They taught us at the hospital that we have to breastfeed the baby for six months before giving water.Did you find it helpful to continue like that? Yes.Tell me. Since I’ve been delivered of my baby, she has never had any sickness or even hotness of the body, nothing like that. So if I have another pregnancy and I deliver, I will continue to breastfeed my baby till six months before giving him or her water.Do you find combining your daily chores or work and exclusive breastfeeding very challenging? It is challenging, but my husband said I should stop working since the time I was delivered. He said I could start work when the baby has been breastfed for the first six months.So you have all the time to give the baby breast milk? YesDoes it make you tired or hungry? Yes, sometimes I feel tired, sometimes I feel hungry. I do eat a lot, every time I eat (giggles).What did your friends tell you, did they say you might be overdoing it? Yes, they are telling me to stop doing it because every time I’ll be complaining of hunger but I told them ‘No, I’ll never stop it until after six months, we were already encouraged at the hospital that this is best for our babies, and I want the best for my baby.’Did your mother in law or relatives try to discourage you? Yes, my mother in law said I should not do it, she said I should give her baby water but I said ‘No.’Did she give you any reason? She said during her own time, she gave her own children water when they were in the village but I told her I am not in the village, and I am not giving my daughter water.Who is the person that has supported you all the while? My mother and my husband.Just the two of them? YesOk, thank you very much. Clap for the husbands! From talking to Ugoma, it is obvious that nursing mothers need support to breastfeed their babies. This must be why the theme for this year’s World Breastfeeding Week is Breastfeeding Support: Close to Mothers.Click here to see why it is necessary to support nursing mothers to breastfeed their newborns exclusively for the first six months.