Take the first 1,000 days seriously, pregnant women, Nursing Mothers urged

 By Sunday Okunade

The first 1,000 days of a child’s life have been described as a defining period that shapes the child’s lifelong health, growth, and development. Experts say that when caregivers adopt recommended behaviours during this period, children stand a better chance of attaining a healthy and prosperous future.

A Social Behaviour Change (SBC) Specialist, Mrs. Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole, made this known while delivering a lecture at a two-day SBC capacity-building meeting for the SBC Committee on cross-sectional interventions for child survival and development in Osun State. The workshop, organised by the Ministry of Information and Public Enlightenment in collaboration with UNICEF Lagos Field Office, was held in Osogbo.

Represented by Mrs. Fatima Shittu Kuranga, the SBC Specialist explained that a child’s journey to a healthy life begins from conception, continues through delivery, and extends to the care the child receives afterward. She stressed that every child can develop into a productive and healthy adult when given the right support early in life.

Mrs. Akinola-Akinwole urged mothers and stakeholders to pay close attention to the first 1,000 days, describing it as a critical window of opportunity for promoting child survival and overall well-being. She broke the 1,000-day period into three stages: pregnancy (270 days), the child’s first year (365 days), and the second year (another 365 days).

She advised pregnant women to attend antenatal care regularly, ensure the support of skilled birth attendants during labour and complete all routine immunisations. For nursing mothers, she recommended exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, proper handwashing practices, providing nutritious meals, and ensuring timely birth registration of their children.

Speaking further during her second lecture, the consultant emphasized that achieving social behaviour change requires the involvement of all concerned individuals. She listed community leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and political actors as essential partners who must be engaged during advocacy planning to guarantee successful SBC outcomes.

Another facilitator, Mrs. Adekemi Ajayi, delivered a lecture titled “Driving Positive Change Through Active Community-Led Action: Stories from the Field.” She reiterated that positive change is a collective responsibility and that communities become powerful drivers of sustainable development when they unite to solve shared challenges.

Mrs. Ajayi called on community stakeholders to move beyond project adoption and work towards full implementation of SBC initiatives to ensure wide-scale impact across the state.

The meeting concluded with participants breaking into groups to design online campaigns aimed at promoting key behaviours for child survival and development. Each group presented its proposed campaign and hashtags for consideration and adoption by the entire assembly.