'Five tins I wish I know before I start breastfeeding'

Breastfeeding Week 2022 na week-long celebration to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

Breast milk na one of di most important meal for new pikin.

Di World Health Organisation tok say "breastfeeding na one of di most effective ways to make sure say di child and survival dey kampe".

Dem recommend six months of exclusive breastfeeding for pikin dem.

Professor Chinyere Ezeaka from di Paediatrics/Head Neonatology Unit, Lagos University Teaching Hospital say e dey important to educate dis women from wen dem be pikin sef.

Di prof want dem to know about di importance of breastfeeding and spoil some of di misconception wey dey down through social and cultural factors.

And one of di ways wey di United Nations dey push dis education na for di Breastfeeding Week wey dey hold from 1st to 7th of August.

With all di information wey dey ground, na until some mama enta di breastfeeding na im dem find out certain things.

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So BBC Pidgin ask some of Breastfeeding mothers to share dia experience.

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Size of breast matter for nursing mother to fit produce breast milk?

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Flourish Ubanyi

Dis mama of one talk about di societal and biological things wey pipo no tell am about breast feeding.

Mrs Ubanyi reveal say:

  • "I wish I bin know di kain discouragement I go get from pipo wey tink say my baby to old to suck breast at one year. Pesin even tell me say afta six months, to breastfeed pikin na waste of time but na di support of my close family and di fact say my mama breast feed all her five children for almost 2 years ginger me".
  • "I wish I sabi how I go need to pump any time my baby no dey around or wen I dey travel without my baby."
  • "I wish I bin know say more food go help me produce more breast milk. Food wey help me na oats for breastfeeding cookies, tea and pap".
  • "I wish I bin know say wen I go back work afta maternity leave, as I still dey breastfeed, go mean say my breast go swell up and my cloth go soak at di end of di day. To solve dat one, I always pump before I comot house, I get beta padded bra wey hold di milk no let am touch my clothes and if I dey travel, I go pump internally and for night before I sleep."
  • I wish I bin know say I fit pump one breast as my baby dey suck di oda one so no milk go waste.

Atinuke Deborah

Di mama of four share her experience with pains and wetin she do about milk splashing.

  • "I wish pesin tell me about di pain for breast afta I born"
  • "I wish pesin tell me my body go cold me before di milk go comeout as I dey breastfeed".
  • "I wish pesin tell me about milk splashing, as di baby dey suck one breast milk go splash comot di second one". She say she dey solve dat wahala with nursing bra.
  • "I wish pesin tell me abot di pain wey I go face afta I stop breastfeeding"
  • "I wish I bin sabi say di pikin go bite nipple as dem dey suck am".

Irene David-Arinze

Di mama of one tok about the weird things she discover for her bodi, wen she start to dey breastfeed her pikin.

  • "First tin wey I go say I bin no know na say, wen I dey breastfeed with one breast, di oda one go start to dey drip, dey even pour milk".
  • "I wish pesin tell me say my armpit go scratch me as I dey breastfeed. I notice am wen I just born say anytime she wan suck armpit go dey itch me"
  • "E dey important to pump out your breast milk sake of say, wen you start to produce milk and your pikin no dey suck, your breast go full come hard like stone and e go start to dey pain".
  • "I think general breast hygiene, to make sure say you dey always clean your nipples"
  • Anoda tin na "make sure to get very comfortable bras. No be every bra wey dem dey sell as good for breast feeding dey good "

Janet Otobo

Dis new mama of one say she bin feel she enta di mata of breastfeeding with enough informate on top say she read well but somethings still shock am.

  • "Some pipo dey ova produce or under produce milk, e just dey bodi. Some pipo say food dey to boost am and odas say na as you pikin dey suck but las-las e dey bodi".
  • "Even wen you e breastfeed well, e fit still pain you. Baby miss feeding, breast don swell, baby no suck with enough ginger, breast don swell, and you still need to feed di pikin wit di breast as e swell and dey like e wan fall. I learn to pump milk keep if she too sleep or if I feel say milk don too full. Hot water bottle for painful breast dey also help with di pain and to release di milk."
  • “Babies dey get favourite breast, e no dey strange but still e dey frustrate pesin die. At one point, I bin dey waka with one breast wey dey times 2 of di oda one because she no gree suck am. Na only wen hunger full her body she dey gree suck am. So I don learn to dey give am dat breast first or for night wen she dey sleepy.”
  • “Milk dey go everywia wen I dey feed pikin. When di baby dey suck one breast fit ginger di second one to start to leak, and go soak your clothe for dat side. E go dey come like tap, and baby go come throw up add am. My solution na to get padding for di bra to catch leakage and get wipe cloth for di vomit.”
  • “Breastfeeding no be only about hunger. Sabi pipo say e dey take like 15 to 20 minutes for your baby to finish your breast milk, but I see say I fit dey siddon with my pikin for three hours, on and off, dey change diaper for middle sef before e go do her. Di baby dey sometimes find comfort for breast, or dey treat breast as distraction if something dey do her like stomach dey pain am."

By Faith Oshoko, Daniel Semeniworima