By Ejike Emmanuel & Mercy Nwuko
A pediatrician, Professor Selina Okolo has identified a strong link between the quality of care women receive during pregnancy and the quality of the health of their babies.
She said while delivering the 74th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Jos that a decline in the quality of care received by pregnant mothers was responsible for the high infant mortality rate in many societies.
In the lecture entitled “Faulty Foundation: The Effect on the Building” held at the Multipurpose Auditorium of the university, she said a malnourished mother was bound to produce a malnourished child and consequently, a malnourished society.
Prof Okolo stated that “research has shown that 37% women of child bearing age are malnourished, 13% underweight, 17% and 7% are overweight and obese respectively” adding that these factors contribute to the problems doctors and those in the health sector face daily.
She encouraged mothers to adopt Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) for their babies for the first six months of life to aid their healthy development.
According to her, “Breastfeeding is one of the most effective available methods to promote child health and survival when practiced optimally. It provides not only nutrients for development but also for critical physical and social interactions…breast milk is readily available, affordable and cost-effective even in the world’s poorest countries. The importance of EBF cannot be overemphasized.
“Therefore, adequate and appropriate nutrition which involves exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life, followed by appropriate complementary feeding with continued breast feeding up to two years or even beyond is imperative…good nutrition is the first line of defense against numerous childhood diseases”.
She likened the development of a child to a building which, if constructed with weak materials or mixtures, would not stand the test of time adding, “the consequences of stunting for the first two years of life will spread outward, from the individual (less education, lower earnings) to the family (one less full wage earner), to the community (a diminished labour pool), to the nation (lower economic activity and growth), to the entire world (weaker global trade).”
Prof Okolo had set the mood for the discourse with a recitation from the bible by a young boy, Tockukwu Diala :“For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgement day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value”.
