Breaking with Tradition, Mother Exclusively Breastfeeds Eight Healthy Children
Nonhlanhla Nxumalo, a Rural Health Motivator in Mantambe in Shiselweni, lives the life she preaches to her community. The mother of eight children, four boys and four girls, bucked traditional mixed feeding practices and did what she believed was right for her children, exclusively breastfeeding them for six months. Now, Nonhlanhla encourages other mothers in her community to exclusively breastfeed their children. It is recommended that all mothers, regardless of their HIV status, exclusively breastfeed their baby for the first six months of life. It has been proven that exclusive breastfeeding protects children from under nutrition and other common illnesses, such as diarrhea and respiratory infections, which can be fatal to infants. However, traditional feeding practices in Swaziland dictate against exclusive breastfeeding. Mixing breast milk with soft porridge is commonly practiced and only 30% of mothers in Swaziland exclusively breastfeed their children for the first six months of life. But Nonhlanhla is trying to change all that. “I did not get support from my mother in law with my children,” says Nonhlanhla. “She insisted that the children be breastfed and given soft porridge at the same time. The earlier generation gave mixed feeding to their children and they now find it hard to accept that times have changed.” But Nonhlanhla would not back down. “She would insist but I would just ignore her until she got used to the fact that I was not willing to mix feed my children.” Today, Nonhlanhla has no regrets about her decision. “My children are growing up well and doing excellently at school,” she says. Exclusive breastfeeding was also a healthy economic choice for Nonhlanhla and her children. Although married, Nonhlanhla says she raised her children without full support from her husband. “I was struggling financially, but with exclusive breastfeeding, my children grew up well, healthy and strong. They were free from illnesses such as kwashiorkor, diarrhea and other illnesses.” Nonhlanhla could not afford to buy formula or other breast milk substitutes, but her breast milk provided for her children’s nutritional needs during the critical stages of their lives. “I strongly recommend exclusive breastfeeding as it helped me financially,” says Nonhlanhla. “But more importantly, my children and I have a mother love bond that was created during breastfeeding and that makes me very happy.”
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