The well child Initiative

Mrs. Kemi sat in her living room, rubbing her swollen belly as she listened to her aunt share stories about childbirth. She was only a few weeks away from delivering her first baby, and while she was excited, she was also deeply confused about one thing - how to feed her child properly. “I heard that if your first milk is yellow, you should throw it away,” her neighbour had said. “It’s dirty and not good for the baby.” Another relative had warned her, “If you don’t give your baby water, she will be thirsty. Breast milk alone is not enough.” On social media, she had read conflicting opinions - some women swore by exclusive breastfeeding, while others argued that formula was better. One blog even claimed that breastfeeding could make a baby too ‘clingy’ and dependent on the mother. As the days passed, Kemi became more anxious. She had no clue what was true or false, and she didn’t know who to trust. She had attended antenatal classes, but they hadn’t covered much on breastfeeding myths,...