Okorafor Precious, a nursing student from Umuahia, Abia State, has narrated how her one-year-old daughter, Eliana Kamsiyochukwu, fed on tins of milk.
Precious, who faced challenges with breastfeeding from the early days, opted for milk formula.
Speaking to WikkiTimes in a phone interview, she revealed that from the second day of Eliana’s life, she introduced NAN milk formula as an alternative to exclusive breastfeeding.
Despite her best efforts, the single mother revealed that she found it difficult to establish a consistent breastfeeding routine. Eliana struggled to suckle, leading to a lack of interest in breast milk from the age of four months.
“Each breastfeeding session became a struggle, with Eliana either playing with or running away from the breast. I believe it due to the delay in lactation, which occurred five days after delivery, it may have contributed to the initial difficulties,” she said.
“I turned to formula milk, and Eliana developed a preference for the bottle over breastfeeding.” she added.
According to the mother, on average, her baby consumes 800 kilogrammes of NAN milk a week. But Precious clarified that she incorporates homemade pap, Nutri Bom, and Cerelac into Eliana’s diet.
The family goes through two tins of formula milk each week, along with the addition of Ribena, which has become a bedtime necessity for Eliana.
Reflecting on the journey, Precious estimates that they have spent close to N400,000 on formula milk alone. The price of NAN milk has increased from N3,200 to 4,200 or N4,500 as the case may be.
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Precious saved discarded tins as mementoes, creating a collection of photos on Google Photos for Eliana to cherish as she grows up.
“As a single mom, I want her to see what our journey was like and what she was able to consume as a baby,” she said.
Despite reaching out to Nestle, the manufacturer of NAN milk, Precious has not received any response. She hopes that one day Eliana might have the opportunity for baby modelling and endorsements, not only from Nestle but also from other brands.
At press time, an email sent to Nestle had not been responded to.
