By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
More than eight in ten nursing mothers in Lagos State are missing the critical window for initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, even as the state posts an Exclusive Breastfeeding rate of 57.4 per cent, well above the global target of 50 per cent.
The disclosure was made on Tuesday, 4 August, 2026 by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, at a press briefing at the Conference Room of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, as the state joined the rest of the world to mark the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week.
She said early initiation of breastfeeding currently stands at just 14 per cent, a figure she described as worrying despite the state’s strong performance on exclusive breastfeeding.
Speaking on the theme, “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life”: Strengthen What Works, Ogunyemi attributed the low early initiation rate partly to misconceptions surrounding colostrum, the first yellowish breast milk, despite its proven protective benefits for newborns.
“Midwives in both public and private health facilities are being trained to initiate breastfeeding within one hour after delivery,” she said.
She described breastfeeding as one of the most effective child survival strategies, stressing that breast milk remains the safest, most nutritious and most affordable source of infant nutrition.
“The importance of breastfeeding as a child survival strategy, especially in the first six months of life, cannot be over-emphasised. Breast milk is free, nutrient-dense, readily available and creates healthier children while promoting stronger bonding between mother and child,” she said, adding that exclusive breastfeeding for six months, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary feeding up to two years, guarantees optimal development while cutting infant illnesses and deaths.
Responding to questions, Ogunyemi dismissed the notion that mothers who deliver through caesarean section cannot breastfeed immediately, insisting surgical delivery should never delay breastfeeding.
“A caesarean section is not a barrier to breastfeeding. Whether a mother delivers vaginally or through surgery, breastfeeding should begin as soon as possible, ideally within the first hour after birth,” she said.
She noted that this year’s global theme, declared by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, was particularly relevant given prevailing economic realities, adding that breastfeeding offers families a sustainable, cost-effective means of ensuring optimal infant nutrition.
She called on husbands, grandparents, employers, healthcare workers, religious leaders and community leaders to provide the support nursing mothers need, saying breastfeeding thrives where mothers receive adequate family and social backing.
On broader interventions, she disclosed that Lagos had strengthened its Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition strategy through healthcare worker training, skilled breastfeeding counselling, enforcement of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, and sustained nutrition education across health facilities.
She added that all 334 Primary Health Centres, 29 secondary health facilities and one tertiary facility in the state currently implement the strategy, backed by an effective referral system.
