Building Nigeria’s First Breastfeeding Clinic: A Conversation with Dr. Lope Adejuyigbe

Behind the Latch

In this episode of Behind the Latch, Margaret Salty interviews Dr. Lope Adejuyigbe, a physician and lactation specialist based in Lagos, Nigeria, who founded the first breastfeeding clinic in the country. They discuss the breastfeeding landscape in Nigeria, barriers to exclusive breastfeeding, cultural beliefs, the urgent need for lactation support, and how Dr. Adejuyigbe is building a movement to make breastfeeding help accessible to more families.

Breastfeeding in Nigeria: Barriers and Opportunities

Dr. Adejuyigbe outlines the breastfeeding challenges in Nigeria:

• Limited breastfeeding support in healthcare settings
• Widespread formula marketing and hospital distribution
• Cultural beliefs that breast milk alone is "not enough"
• The impact of short maternity leaves and lack of workplace accommodations

The Creation of Nigeria’s First Breastfeeding Clinic

Motivated by personal family experience and WHO training, Dr. Adejuyigbe launched the first dedicated breastfeeding clinic in Nigeria:

• Started with personal funds and private practice
• Faced skepticism from doctors and nurses unfamiliar with lactation specialization
• Now seeing growing community acceptance and increasing patient referrals

Challenges Mothers Face and Clinic Services

Dr. Adejuyigbe shares the key issues she sees among mothers:

• Early formula introduction encouraged even by healthcare providers
• Pressure for oversupply due to social media influence
• Lack of access to clean water making pumping challenging
• No hospital-grade pumps available in Nigerian hospitals

Her clinic addresses a wide range of cases, including:

• Latch difficulties
• Low milk supply
• Breast abscesses and mastitis
• Breastfeeding with complex medical conditions (hypothyroidism, PCOS, surrogacy, adoption)

The Power of Early Intervention

Dr. Adejuyigbe emphasizes:

• The critical window of the first 1–2 weeks postpartum for establishing breastfeeding
• The need for better prenatal and immediate postnatal education
• How early support makes breastfeeding easier and more sustainable

Addressing Cultural Beliefs Around Breastfeeding

Margaret and Dr. Adejuyigbe discuss common myths in Nigeria:

• Belief that colostrum should be discarded
• Widespread "top up" culture
• Misconceptions about breast milk "going sour" if not expressed frequently

Looking Toward the Future: Expansion and Peer Support

Dr. Adejuyigbe shares her goals:

• Expanding her virtual breastfeeding clinic to serve more countries affordably
• Building a breastfeeding peer counselor program to extend basic education at the community level
• Partnering with hospitals and government agencies to mainstream lactation support
• Publishing research on breastfeeding experiences in Nigeria

Guest Info:

Dr. Lope Adejuyigbe, MD, IBCLC Candidate, is a physician, lactation specialist, and founder of the first breastfeeding clinic in Nigeria. She is dedicated to transforming the breastfeeding support landscape across Nigeria and beyond.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

📌 WHO Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes

📌 La Leche League International – Peer-to-peer breastfeeding support

📌 WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program – Model for community-based breastfeeding support

📌 Lactation Education Resources (LER) – Online lactation education

Connect with Me:

Questions, feedback, or ideas for future episodes? Reach out!

📧 Email: [email protected]

📸 Instagram: @margaretsalty

📘 Facebook: Margaret Salty’s IBCLC Community

Credits:

🎙 Hosted by: Margaret Salty

🎧 Guest: Dr. Lope Adejuyigbe

🎵 Music by: The Magnifiers, My Time Traveling Machine

Hashtags & Keywords:

#BehindTheLatch #BreastfeedingInNigeria #LactationSupport #MaternalHealth #BreastfeedingClinic #ExclusiveBreastfeeding #BreastfeedingEquity #LactationConsultant

🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast app!

Don’t forget to subscribe to Behind the Latch and leave a review!