It is also better to breastfeed for 6 months or for as long as you and your baby wish. Solid foods can be introduced when the baby is 6 months old, while mothers continue to breastfeed.
Nurse Tarawally maintained that breast feeding saves time and money, as lactating mothers do not purchase, measure, and mix formula and there are no bottles to warm in the middle of the night. Breastfeeding also helps a mother bond with her baby, she said. Physical contact helps babies feel more secure, warm and comforted.
She noted that nursing uses up extra calories, making it easier to lose the pounds gained from pregnancy. It also helps the uterus to get back to its original size more quickly and lessens any bleeding a woman may have after giving birth.
The breast feeding week observance in Sierra Leone is expected to attract Government, NGOs and stakeholders in the health sector, while the first lady Madam Sia Nyama Koroma will deliver a statement at the St. Anthony Conference Center in Freetown, which will be followed by a series of programs which will be organized across the country during the breastfeeding week.