The United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned lactating mothers against feeding their babies with water or any liquid substance other than breast milk within the first six months of life. This was the main message at the 2024 World Breastfeeding Week flag-off and World Breastfeeding Record Initiative where over 30,000 lactating women across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as well as selected Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps breastfed their babies simultaneously. With this event, Nigeria beaks the world record for the most lactating women, exceeding the current record of 21,000 attempted by the Philippines in 2013.
UNICEF Public Health Nutrition Officer and the Breastfeeding Record Facilitator, Izuchukwu Michael Offiaeli commended Breastfeeding mothers that participated in the historic event. Offiaeli said “while the target was to engage 30,000 lactating women, an impressive 31,254 women, along with their babies, turned out across the states and IDP camps to set a new world record for the highest number of lactating women breastfeeding simultaneously”. Offiaeli said breast milk has over 88 percent water, providing all the water a baby needs and cautioned that giving water to babies during the first six months of life is the major barrier to improving exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates in the country.
Offiaeli encouraged mothers to choose breast milk only for their babies in the first 6 months of life to ensure optimal health for.