AN ASSESSMENT ON THE ALTITUDE OF MOTHERS TOWARDS EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING AMONG WOMEN OF CHILD BEARING AGE IN OFFA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KWARA STATE.

Most studies of human lactation have focused on the quality of milk produced on the effect of human milk on infants. Fewer studies have targeted the effects of lactation on short or long term maternal health and subcommittee found on studies that evaluated the effects of maternal nutrients on long term outcome related to lactation. Reasons for this imbalance is unclear the perception that the infants level of risk during breast feeding may be much higher than that of mother is a potential factors responsible for a lack of interest in maternal outcome from a nutritional stand point however the stress on mother is a substantial relative to the nutritional meals imposed by pregnancy a condition that has attracted much more attention the breast feed infants bubbles its weight in the first four to six months after birth and this additional energy stores associated with growth. The metabolic adjustments that redirect nutrients use from maternal needs to milk synthesis and secretion involve nearly every maternal organ system (Brooks and Brooks 2009) The decline in breast feeding form the mild 1940s also may have been partially responsible for the lack of interest in long term maternal health outcomes, socioeconomics and differences between groups that choose to bsreastfeed and those that choose to feed their infants formula and historical changes in the characteristics of population who have chosen to breast feed of formula feed may have discouraged population on based studies of the relationship between long term maternal outcomes and lactation history (Savage K, 2012). This chapter focused on limited examples of maternal health consequences bottom of firm of lactation because of the focus of the report is on healthy human. This discussion omits the influence lactation on underlying chronic disease states such as. Diabetes short term effects (return of ovulation and maternal sexuality) and long term effects (obesity osteoporosis and breast cancer). Despite the benefits and efforts to promote breastfeeding exclusive breastfeeding is sub optimally practiced in many developing countries only 35% of the infants are exclusively breastfeed the world wide in sub-Saharan African which has high rates of infants and child mortality only 33% of infants are exclusively breastfeed. The exclusive breastfeeding converge of 90% is required in order to benefit from 11.6% reduction of child death in low income countries Tanzania’s goal is to have exclusive breastfeeding coverage of 80% by 2015. But to prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding is still low was 43% in 2004 and slightly increased to 50% by 2010 (Pond L.K 2014). Several factors have been found to be associated with exclusive breastfeeding in developed countries social class, level of education, age of the mother, lack of parental support, living with partner employment status party, place of delivery smoking during pregnancy and presence of BFHI policies. Similarly, in developing countries, socio demographic factors like maternal age, education, employment resiliency, cultural and religious practice differ in direction form one setting to the other necessitating the need for setting specific data. Contact between mother and baby as well as providing all nutritional requirement for growth and development. Breastfeeding is important for the health of the mother as well as for that of the infant. Brooks and Brooks (2009) observed that for the first two or three days the mothers breast produces colostrums a watery fluid believed to have some immunization effect on infants similar to the above the importance of breastfeeding for the infant in terms of nutrition, immunological protection, economical biochemical, anti infective, anti allergic contraceptive and emotional band between mother and child had also been extensively documented (Jelliffe & Jelliffe, 2008 & Bamisaiye A.O 2013) According to Perez Escamilla 2014, the well documented nutritional immunology and contraceptive advantages of breastfeeding have left the international health organization to recommend the promotion and support of he infant feeding method in developed and developing countries. Mothers who breastfeed their infants are thought to be desirous and capable of establishing a warm, affectionate relationship with their infants while in contrast, mothers who bottle feed their infants are seem as women who shrug off the psychological aspect of maternal responsibilities (Johson, Gene 2014) history has shown that for many years. Breast feeding used to be only means of feeding the newborn and infant’s mothers milk was the only resource for infant feeding, and those who were deprived of it had no hope of surviving for long. As documented by Morlly 2008, doctors in the past appreciate that if child is not breastfeed he or she may die.