Maternal nutrition is vital for sustaining lactation, as a well-nourished mother is able to produce quality breast milk in sufficient quantity, ensuring optimal growth and health for her infant. This was evident in the case of a four-month-old girl named Safura, whose mother struggled to produce enough milk to meet her daughter’s nutritional needs. Aware that her child was not thriving, Safura’s mother felt helpless until a beneficiary of our Temporary Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) informed her about the Lagos Food Bank and the potential for restoring her child’s nutritional and health status through the NUMEPLAN program.

When Safura was brought to the Food Bank, she exhibited critical signs of malnutrition, including thinness, pale skin, and an alarming weight of just 3 kg. Her mother reported that Safura refused to eat the pap she prepared and showed little appetite for infant milk. Our nutritionist conducted the necessary assessments and discovered that Safura’s mother was not adding milk to the pap. The nutritionist then prepared the infant milk in the correct water-to-milk ratio, leading to a surprising turnaround. Safura displayed a good appetite for the milk, contrary to her mother’s earlier claims, indicating that the preparation may have been the issue. Her mother was thrilled to see her daughter consume the milk eagerly, exclaiming, “She dey eat am!”

To support Safura’s recovery, our nutritionist educated her mother on the foods essential for increasing and sustaining lactation, advising her to continue breastfeeding. Safura was placed on a diet that included breast milk and infant milk until she reached 6 months. The Lagos Food Bank also provided nutritious food items to both Safura and her mother, who was encouraged to consume nutrient-dense foods to enhance her milk production. This comprehensive support allowed Safura to thrive, with observable improvements in her weight, skin, and hair condition.

Regular counseling during bi-weekly visits significantly influenced Safura’s mother in caring for her child. When Safura turned six months old, her mother received guidance on how to introduce other foods into her daughter’s diet. By the time Safura was seven months old, she was discharged from the NUMEPLAN program, weighing 7.1 kg and measuring a mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) of 13.5 cm.

Safura’s journey illustrates the importance of timely nutrition intervention on infant health, highlighting how targeted support and education can lead to significant improvements in both mother and child.