Help! Hunger Threatens Exclusive Breastfeeding as Nigerian Nursing Mothers Feed Babies on Adult Foods, Damn Consequences.

The biting hardship in the country is no doubt having a negative impact on all fronts of life. Innocent babies and newborns are not escaping the pang of hardship as their impoverished mothers adopt survival strategies to beat hunger and shun the well-established standard of breastfeeding. In this piece, Jumoke Olasunkanmi who spoke with some of the mothers writes about her findings.

Adopt Hunger Survival Strategy

“My baby is 4 months old and I give him pap, semovita, and other swallows. I use powdered milk in a small sachet. I do not give him baby formula because it is too expensive.”

These are the words of Happiness Ogaji, a young mother of two living on the outskirts of Nigeria’s capital city. Oblivious to the negative impacts of unsafe feeding practices on her child, she explained to African Health Report (AHR) that her decision, fueled by the constant increment in the price of infant formula is in the best interest of her child.

“Even though he is not fat, he is very strong,” she said pointing to her 4-month-old who sat on a mat next to her.

“I give him different types of food but I stopped buying baby milk because the price kept increasing, now I just use powdered milk to feed him.”

Economic Hardship

The ripple effect of the current economic hardship is also touching on innocent babies. As headline inflation rises to 29.9 per cent, the cheapest infant formula has gone up by 300% and now retails for N4500 to N6000 forcing nursing mothers to choose unsafe alternatives.

In addition to the economic constraints driving the use of adult milk, another significant factor contributing to the challenge of infant feeding in Nigeria is the necessity for many mothers to return to work shortly after giving birth. With limited maternity leave policies and financial obligations, mothers often find themselves in a difficult position, having to balance employment with the responsibility of caring for their infants.

Threat to Exclusive Breastfeeding

Exclusive breastfeeding, as recommended by healthcare professionals, can be challenging for working mothers who must leave their babies with caregivers while they are away. The need to resume work often leads to the early introduction of complementary foods or infant formula, as mothers struggle to maintain breastfeeding while meeting their work obligations.

Another mother, Blessing Idu shared her experience, stating, “I resumed work when my baby was two months old so I have been taking her to daycare. I cannot do exclusive breastfeeding like that so I started giving baby food. The daycare I use does not have a fridge and even if they do, there’s no guarantee that there will always be light so pumping breast milk is out of it.

A known infant milk was still N2500 when I started buying it, the formula was also around N2000 so I was buying until it became too expensive.

I know my baby should not take adult milk until she is 1 year old but I have started giving her adult milk at 8 months. I started this when she was 7 months and even that is too expensive now.”

Cost of Living

For many mothers, the cost of quality meals to boost lactation and the logistics of expressing and storing breast milk while at work pose significant challenges. As a result, mixed feeding, which involves supplementing breast milk with infant formula or other foods, becomes a practical solution for some families.

Such is the case for Ogaji quoted earlier. She stated that she does not produce enough breast milk to feed her 4-month-old so she supplements with adult food and milk.

“Even since he was a newborn, my breast milk does not come out well so I had to give him other things.”

Infant formula, specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs of babies in place of breast milk, provides essential nutrients crucial for healthy growth and development during the critical first months of life. However, the soaring prices of infant formula, driven by economic instability and inflation, have placed it out of reach for many families. With limited options and facing the harsh reality of financial constraints, some parents have turned to adult milk as a cheaper alternative.

While adult milk may seem like a temporary solution to the economic challenges faced by families, its use as a substitute for infant formula comes with significant risks and implications.

Consequences

Adult milk lacks the essential nutrients and appropriate composition necessary to support the rapid growth and development of infants. Babies have unique nutritional requirements that cannot be adequately met by adult milk alone.

Speaking with AHR, Medical practitioner, Dr. Matthew Okoh explained that one of the primary concerns surrounding the use of adult milk for infant feeding is the insufficient intake of crucial nutrients such as iron, vitamin D, and certain fatty acids essential for brain development. Additionally, adult milk may contain higher levels of certain nutrients, such as protein and sodium, which can be harmful to infants in excessive amounts.

“Feeding infants with cow milk can lead to nutritional deficiencies, which can include vitamin C deficiency, iron deficiency, deficiency in calories, and potential electrolyte imbalance from diarrhea associated with improper handling of the feed. This is in addition to the fact that the protein content of cow milk is not ideal for the infant and can cause irritation of the lining of the infants’ GI.”

In addition, he added that the composition of adult milk is not tailored to meet the specific needs of babies’ delicate digestive systems. Infants have limited digestive capacity, and their bodies may struggle to digest and absorb the nutrients present in adult milk effectively. This can lead to digestive issues, such as diarrhea, constipation, and malabsorption of nutrients, ultimately compromising the baby’s overall health and well-being.

Beyond the immediate health implications, the long-term consequences of feeding babies adult milk are concerning. Inadequate nutrition during infancy can have lasting effects on physical growth, cognitive development, and immune function, potentially leading to lifelong health problems and developmental delays.

UNICEF Decries Situation

Malnutrition is already a major public health issue in Nigeria with 35 million children under the age of 5 affected. According to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), 32 per cent of Nigerian children under the age of 5 are stunted, the second highest rate in the world.

The new trend of feeding babies inappropriately will consequently lead to more poorly developed children shortly.

“Malnutrition is the long-term effect which can lead to other ailments, can lead to poor growth of the child, impaired development of the brain and diminished cognition. All of which can lead to poor academic performance and poor quality of life ultimately.” Dr Okoh stated.

“With the present economic realities in the country, it goes without saying that the prevalence and consequences of malnutrition are going to increase with time. The effect of these things does not manifest immediately. But the effect becomes established right from the womb. The critical period of a child’s life is the first 1000 days of life. That is from the time of conception to 2 years. So, any nutritional misadventure during this time will definitely manifest later.  So, we will definitely see the impact in the near future.”

He added that addressing the cause of these practices is the only way to curb it.

“Do you know the cost of infant formula? People can easily buy a sachet of cow milk compared to infant formula which costs thousands of naira.

So, addressing the root cause of poverty will go a long way. Of course, this will also educate people on the dangers of feeding infants with cow milk. And of course, we need to continue to promote breastfeeding.”