Experts and Nutritionists alike have said that early feeding is important for the first 1000 days of life as it determines and lays the foundation of a child’s future.
According to them, it helps immune systems to develop more robustly and can decrease a child’s likelihood of being overweight later in life.
In a recent chat, Dr Chris Isokpunwu, head of Nutrition, Federal Ministry of Health, said malnutrition is the cause of half of all under five deaths, as every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 children under the age of five and 145 women during child-bearing. Isokpunwu, attributing these to poverty and poor ante-natal care practices urged women to eat well during pregnancy and embark on exclusive breastfeeding once the child is born.
Speaking also on the issue, Dr Chika Ndiokwelu, member of Dieticians Association of Nigeria, said early nutrition, which starts during pregnancy (from first day of conception to early childhood of about two to three years) is required to optimise rapid growth which is the characteristic of the early part of life. He adds that without this, a child will be at great risk of malnutrition which will lead to stunting, wasting, underweight and micro nutrient deficiency. Ndiokwelu added that eating well during pregnancy and exclusive breastfeeding of a child can improve a child’s chances of living a healthy and prosperous life when keyed into this critical window of opportunity.
In the same vein, Dr Folake Samuel of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, said breastfeeding for the first 100 days of life is a critical period for neurodevelopmental process. This process, according to her, is genetically programmed but are also influenced by social-environment factors and particularly nutrition. She said malnutrition impedes cognitive development and affects life-long learning as well as future productivity of individuals. However, she advised that investments in nutrition should start prenatally and continue into early life and adulthood.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation, there should be exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life, followed by the introduction of nutritious foods that complement sustained breastfeeding for up to two years.
Therefore, nursing mothers and their employers should place significance value to contributing better health in the first 1000 days by making necessary provision for these infants.
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