Women
Breastfeeding: Meeting The Child’s Need In Public
Pediatrists emphasise that the best way to stay out of malnutrition and mortality is to ensure that breastfeeding commences within the first one hour of birth and be sustained up to the first and second year.
While researchers are yet to come up with all the properties of breast milk, it is understood that its nutrient content is relatively stable. Made from nutrients from the mother’s bloodstream, and bodily stores breast milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water and protein needed for a baby’s growth and development.
The fact that breastfeeding uses an average of 500 calories a day, helps the mother lose weight after delivery, while it has also been proven to be a reliable instrument of family planning.
Drawing strength therefore, from the immunity-boosting potential of this exercise, experts say that approximately 0.25-0.5 grams per day of secretory IgA antibodies pass to the baby via the milk, a very important feature of the colustrum the breast milk creates for newborns, the World Health Organization in collaboration with the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) saw the need for an exclusive deal.
The world breast feeding week on inception as its theme. “Baby friendly: a hospital initiative”.
Ever since, the yearly breastfeeding week rituals come and go with varying themes yet with greater emphasis on exclusive breast feeding.
Meaning that breast feeding, the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts, via lactation rather than from a baby bottle or other container, has not just been spotted as a veritable infant meal, it has been highlighted as exclusive baby meal.
What this means is random feeing, exclusively on breast milk without water or other solid food for the first six months of birth.
Bearing in mind therefore, that most nursing mothers are also working mothers, and even in situations where work ceases to be the case, no woman would be kept in a place without official outing either for religious, social or economic purposes for the sole reason of breast-feeding a child.
If that also be the case, it follows that Nursing mothers must move about with their babies to be able to meet up the demands of exclusive breast feeding.
The question now is how many would subscribe to breast feeding a baby in the bus, market place, Church arena, school environment, workplace etc?
Mrs Obirieze Ijeoma, a business woman, would want to breast-feed her baby any where. However, reactions from within her environment hampers her resolve to effectively breast-feed her baby irrespective of where.
She said “One day my baby needed a suck in the bus, though I was shy but I summoned up courage and started breast-feeding him only for the next passenger to me, a male, to start playing with the baby up to the point of singing and touching the baby and I was like . ah! What is this man trying to do and immediately, I had to put in my breast and stopped breast-feeding him even though he had to continue crying.”
Mrs Patience Naenwii; a beautician is another subscriber to breast feeding in the public. According to her she ensures that she conceals the nipples from the public view while being mindful of the baby’s nose. “When I want to breast-feed my child, I will be conscious of men not seeing my nakedness, I may not just excuse them, but they will always know I want to breast-feed my child through my actions. “But I try as much as possible not to be distracted or discouraged by their actions,” she said.
While many women wouldn’t see any thing wrong in publicly breast-feeding, the men have varying opinions.
For Mr. Boye Salau, a journalist, it looks quite absurd for his wife to breast feed in the public especially in the bus. However, in the event of an extreme need for a suck Boye would want it done discreetly as any exposure would not be tolerated. “even in a public function, she could excuse herself and go to a corner and breast-feed the baby”, he said.
For Mr. Jerry, a pharmacist, wherever duty calls, attention should be given immediately. Be it in a public bus, public events, he is indifferent so long as his baby calls for it, there must be no excuse.
There have been incidents of owners of premises, or people present, objecting to or forbidding breast-feeding. In some classes, the mothers have left, others, where a law guaranteeing the right to breast-feeding has been broken, there has been legal action.
Most U.S States as at January 2009 have laws clarifying a woman’s right to breastfeed in public.
However, many women have been reportedly feeling uncomfortable breastfeeding in public even doing that discreetly, as it is considered embarrassing. This is why the numerous calls for the establishment of baby care facilities in public places.
Mothers who would have loved to breast feed in public with ease, avoid it due to complaints ranging from disturb to indecent exposure as it is common to see women slighted or looked upon as exalted animals just for breastfeeding in public places.
Seeing that breastfeeding is an important basic act of nurturing that deserves protection in the interest of maternal and child health, a mother may breastfeed a child in any location; public or private where the mother and child are authorized to be.
Hence, it is important that employers be required to allow lactating employees breaks to breastfeed or express breast milk. Offices, public establishments such as malls and schools and government institutions can establish location stations separate from the bathrooms where mothers can breastfeed their babies or express milk.
Meanwhile, even where there is obviously no legislation that specifically addresses breast feeding in public, the child’s right to nurse act seeks to protect a child right to be breastfed in any location where the mother-child pair are otherwise, authorized to be.
Nevertheless, where it is a legal right, some mothers may be reluctant to breast-feed while others may still object to the practice.
As we celebrate this year’s world breastfeeding week, which is aimed at improving the health of babies around the world as well as commemorating the WHO/UNICEF declaration of August 1990 to protect, promote and support breastfeeding as the best way to provide newborns with nutrients they need, it is important to look back, understand what has happened and why.
It is also important we plan what more can be done to support all women to be able to optimally feed and care for their infants and young ones.
Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi
IVY-K Fashion by Igiebor Daddy Lucky, a Nigerian-born designer now based in the UK, has launched the latest menswear line, Dapper Man.
One of the collection’s strengths is its classic, clean aesthetic. Dapper Man delivers sharp, structured suits in a timeless black and white color scheme that exudes a sense of luxury and professionalism. The use of high-quality fabrics like wool and silk ensures that the suits not only look high-end but also feel luxurious to the wearer. The designer’s focus on detail is evident in the meticulous tailoring, with fitted blazers and crisp trousers forming the foundation of the collection.
Where IVY-K Fashion shines is in the subtle yet elegant touches. The inclusion of beads as embellishments on lapels and cuffs adds a unique flair, blending traditional craft with modern tailoring. This nod to African heritage gives the collection a distinct identity, offering something more personal and culturally significant than your standard menswear line.
However, despite the elegance of the Dapper Man collection, there is a lingering sense of missed opportunity. The black-and-white color palette, while classic, feels overly safe. In a fashion landscape where bold colors and daring patterns often make the strongest impact, the collection could benefit from incorporating more vibrant hues or experimenting with unconventional fabrics. Pushing the envelope with color or texture could elevate these designs from simply elegant to truly memorable.
In addition, while the tailoring of the blazers and trousers is immaculate, the collection lacks a sense of playfulness or modern edge that many contemporary menswear lines are embracing. The suits are undoubtedly stylish, but the collection as a whole leans heavily on tradition. Experimenting with asymmetrical cuts, bold patterns, or even layering could add an exciting dimension to Dapper Man. The challenge is to maintain the sleek sophistication of the collection while infusing it with a fresh, innovative spirit.
Another area that could use improvement is the overall cohesion of the collection. While the suits are well-crafted, there is a feeling of repetition across the pieces. More variation in design, such as different lapel styles, pocket configurations, or even bolder accessories, would give the collection greater diversity and visual interest.
In conclusion, Dapper Man by Igiebor Daddy Lucky showcases the designer’s strong grasp of classic tailoring and elegant design, but to truly capture the attention of a broader audience, IVY-K Fashion would benefit from more daring choices. By infusing the collection with bold colors, unexpected textures, and a more modern edge, Dapper Man could move from a well-crafted line to a trendsetting force in men’s fashion. With such a solid foundation, there’s no doubt that Igiebor Daddy Lucky has the potential to lead his brand toward greater heights
The trend of indecent dressing all in the name of fashion is fast becoming a norm in our generation and society at large. Most married women embrace this fashion as competition with single ladies.
Different scholars have given an in depth insight about dressing as a tool of communication. Non-verbal communication has been asserted as the communication between people by the means of signs or symbols. It conveys what we wish to disseminate to the public as either intentionally or not.
According to Paul Ekman and Michael Argyle, communication is carried out through what has been classified as “Presentational Code”. He listed nine codes of non-verbal communication, as body contact, facial expression, gestures, postures, eye movement, proximity, orientation, head nods and appearance.
This, being stated, married and single ladies should understand that their mode of dressing is communicative be it directly or indirectly as such body parts we call “private” are now being made public because of the trends or wearing of transparent dresses and this in turn calls on the attention of men who are weak and prone to illicit thoughts thus, resulting to most rape cases in our society.
This indecent dressing by most ladies has denied many their future husbands. The truth is that a man is attracted to his kind; his desires in marriage. It is often asserted that decency and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder, yet, in trending times of this 21st century, dress code and fashion in nudity form is gaining popularity.
This has become complicated as most men tend to toggle between their emotions (lust) and sanity (rationality) in terms of marriage, thereby setting a wrong foundation upon which most marriages are consummated.
On the other hand, most married women have embraced the trend of indecent dressing nipping it on the state of it being the choice dressing, approved by their spouses, leaving society with the question of what “responsible” man would prefer that the secrecy of the benefit of his marital vow has become the centre of attraction and viewership by the general public.
Hence, communicating with their dressing gas given licence to every male gender who is interested or attracted to what they see to make unsolicited sexual passes at them, which might be considered embarrassing.
At this juncture, it is important to state that ladies should dress decently knowing that they are the epitome of nation-building, they are nation-builders, character moulders and pacesetters not just in the lives of their families but to the society at large.
In most occasions, there are no clear border lines between the married women and the single ladies because of the rate of scanty dressing which has close the gap of differences.
Women and girls should embrace this call awakening to decent mode of dressing. Dresses that are meant to be worn indoors should remain indoors.
It is worrisome to see ladies wear shorts that are supposed to be worn in the living room on the streets without shame. This is an awakening call to our ladies, married and singles that the opposite sex do not expose their private body parts for the public. Sometimes, the ladies go about in the streets without wearing brazziers as to showcase their nipples.
The society should be sanitised of the menace of indecent dressing that is lurking and taking over the entire nooks and crannies of the society and the nation at large.
Let it be known that he or she is addressed in the manner he or she is dressed. There may be no room for a second impression. To the single ladies, your dressing decently will not stop you from meeting your Mr Right rather, it will increase your stake and place you on the list of most valued women in the society.
Dressing speaks louder than words.
Kate Chisom Isiocha
Isiocha is an OND final year student of Temple Gate Polytechnic.
