How six months’ maternity leave helps mothers recover, babies thrive

August 2, 2026 12:00 am

Women in states and federal institutions that offer six months of paid maternity leave have shared the life-changing benefits of the policy, highlighting why it should be adopted nationwide, including by private organisations. They say the extended leave gave them enough time to recover, particularly after caesarean section deliveries, exclusively breastfeed their babies for the recommended first six months, and return to work healthier and more productive. JANET OGUNDEPO writes

The calm, sweet, and milky aura of a new baby was the scent a health worker, identified only as Abidemi, wore during the first few weeks after she resumed her duty post following the birth of her first child in March 2019.

While her ‘newborn perfume’ announced her arrival to her colleagues and elicited greetings and questions about the baby, Abidemi’s lips responded pleasantly, and her tired body sank into her seat.

Being a first-time mom, whose four-month-old was left in the hands of a caregiver at a Crèche, thoughts of her daughter’s welfare gained prominence in the health worker’s mind as she shifted through the day’s tasks.

Abidemi remembered that the first few months after her three-month maternity leave, as was the practice then, were filled with worry about her child, a full and leaking breast, tired eyes in need of good sleep, and a hungry belly that wanted more food.

The middle-aged health worker said, contrary to her plans, she had to feed her four-month-old with formula.

That first experience settled into memory and life moved on.

Then came her second pregnancy, and with it, news that changed the calculation entirely. Ekiti State had approved six months of maternity leave for civil servants in February 2020. This time, Abidemi would not be counting down twelve weeks.

“I was very excited. With my first child, I only had three months, and it was not enough. Knowing I had six months this time gave me so much peace of mind,” she told PUNCH Healthwise.

Abidemi said she had to undergo a caesarean section for the birth of her second child, and the additional three months allowed her body to heal properly before returning to work.

This time, the Ekiti State civil servant had her desire to exclusively breastfeed her baby for six months granted,

She narrated, “Physically, I had enough time to recover fully before doing any strenuous work. Emotionally and mentally, I was more stable because I wasn’t rushing to resume work while still healing.

“I was able to exclusively breastfeed my baby for the full six months. With my first child, I had to introduce formula at four months because I resumed work. This time, my baby was healthier, had fewer illnesses, and I didn’t have to worry about expressing milk or leaving the baby too early.”

The extra 90 days also gave Abidemi, now a mother of three, priceless moments she would otherwise have missed if she was away at work.

“I would have missed key milestones like the first time she rolled over, sitting, started recognising me and responding to my voice. I also would have missed the daily bonding time that helped me understand her cries and needs better,” the health worker said.

By the time Abidemi resumed work, she “felt very prepared and ready to work. After three months, I would still have been recovering and worried about the baby. After six months, my stress level was lower, my confidence was higher, and I could focus fully on my work without distractions.”

Stronger, healthier babies

For Simisola Onibiyo, a civil servant in Ondo State who is still on maternity leave, the extension has brought peace of mind she did not get to enjoy after the birth of her first child.

Before January 2023, female civil servants in the state were entitled to three months of paid maternity leave, but that changed when the government extended it to six months.

Onibiyo believes the policy has also made achieving six months of exclusive breastfeeding easier, making her baby grow healthier and stronger.

She told PUNCH Healthwise, “I have been able to breastfeed my baby directly most of the time and also express breast milk in the early mornings and at night whenever necessary. I believe it is contributing to my baby’s healthy growth and stronger immunity.”

The mother of two further said the additional months reduced anxiety and allowed her to settle into motherhood at her own pace.

“This time, knowing I had six months gave me peace of mind. I didn’t have to worry about returning to work too soon, and I was able to focus on recovering and caring for my baby.

“The extra three months made a significant difference. Physically, I will have enough time to recover completely before returning to work. Emotionally and mentally, I’m less anxious because I wasn’t rushing to balance work and caring for a newborn,” Onibiyo said.

The young mother expressed joy in witnessing her child’s growth and milestones, guarding them as a treasure she would not trade for anything.

“I would have missed many important milestones, such as seeing my baby become more responsive, smile more often, roll over, and start interacting with family members. I also would have missed many precious bonding moments that I can never get back,” the Akure resident told PUNCH Healthwise.

Exclusively breastfed babies

In Oyo State, a civil servant at the Ministry of Information, Rafiat Adeleke, is currently on her six-month leave and said the policy has made exclusive breastfeeding possible and financially sensible.

“It makes exclusive breastfeeding possible and helps the baby grow healthier and stronger. It also reduces the need to buy infant formula or spend time washing feeding bottles, which saves both time and money,” she said.

While Adeleke is yet to resume, she believes that by the time she does, she would be more productive and confident to handle her tasks.

Her colleague at the Ministry of Information, Omolola Adeyeye, who is seconded to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, has a similar experience of the additional 90-day maternity leave.

She said the additional weeks allowed her to attend a monthly breastfeeding training programme called CHOP at Adeoyo Hospital from home.

Adeyeye had previously been forced to attend the programmes from her office during the three-month maternity leave era because she had already resumed work.

“With the additional three months, I had enough time to get rest, bond with my baby and learn how to navigate my life around my older children,” she said.

She returned to work after six months, she said, feeling fully prepared.

“I resumed feeling well rested. I had enough time to plan myself ahead of resumption. This helped me face my expectations from work with confidence, and it helped my productivity as well,” Adeleke said.

In Plateau State, a mother who gave only her first name, Augustina, said the six-month leave had given her something she described simply as strength.

The primary school teacher and civil servant noted that she has been on track to achieving the World Health Organisation recommended six months of exclusive breastfeeding.

“As I approach the six-month mark, I feel stronger and well recovered. Emotionally, I have been able to recover from the stress of the pregnancy and childbirth. The six months leave is helping me to achieve the six months exclusive breastfeeding. If I had to resume after three months, I would have been forced to begin to give my baby other baby foods because I would have to keep him with someone,” she said.

She urged employers to consider giving women of childbearing age the six months’ maternity leave to ensure they are productive, their minds are at work and are committed to work.

But she also pointed to a gap that the policy change had not yet closed in her own state.

A primary school teacher in Plateau State, who requested anonymity, told PUNCH Healthwise that teachers employed under the Local Government Education Authority did not enjoy the same six months as their counterparts under the state government.

“Primary school teachers are under SUBEB, and it’s the local government that employs and pays us. Female teachers working here have only three months of maternity leave, and this affects our productivity upon resumption,” the teacher said.

She urged the government to end the maternity leave and payment discrepancy between LG and state civil servants in the state.

Why exclusive breastfeeding?

According to the World Health Organisation and United Nations Children Fund, babies should be exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life.

It notes that exclusive breastfeeding means no other food or drink, not even water, except breastmilk, including milk expressed or from a wet nurse) for the first six months of life, with the exception of rehydration solution, drops, and syrups.

UNICEF asserts that breastmilk is the perfect food for babies, noting that it provides complete nutrition while being naturally safe, clean, and ready to feed without any preparation, even in areas with poor water quality or sanitation.

It states that starting breastfeeding right after birth through skin-to-skin contact helps babies stay warm, builds their immune system, strengthens the bond between mother and baby, and helps mothers produce more milk for longer periods.

The global health body notes that breastmilk is more than food; it acts as a baby’s first medicine and is rich in disease-fighting antibodies, especially in the first milk (colostrum).

UNICEF adds that it protects infants against infections such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and ear infections and shields babies during emergencies, adapts to a child’s health needs when mothers are ill, reduces healthcare costs and has a lower environmental impact than formula feeding.

“For women, breastfeeding significantly reduces the risk of certain types of cancers as well as Type II Diabetes. Breastfeeding is also a climate-smart solution. It’s sustainable, cost-effective, and zero-waste,” UNICEF stated.

Nigeria’s 29% exclusive breastfeeding rate

To raise awareness, position breastfeeding support as a core part of food security and nutrition, promote policies and build cooperation between governments, health systems and workplaces, the World Breastfeeding Week is commemorated from August 1-7 every year.

The theme for this year is Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works.

Despite the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, only 29 per cent of children under the age of six months are exclusively breastfed, according to the 2023-24 National Demographic and Health Survey.

While 90 per cent of mothers breastfeed, only 36 per cent initiate breastfeeding early, and 23 per cent of babies are breastfed up to the recommended age of two years.

To promote and give working mothers the required time to practice exclusive breastfeeding, UNICEF advocates for six months of paid maternity leave.

However, only 12 states and the federal government have paid maternity leave for up to six months.

The states are Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, Plateau, Cross River, Enugu, Kaduna, Kwara, Abia, Niger and Zamfara who joined the list last month.

But while some state governments have embraced the six-month policy, not every working mother enjoys the same privilege.

World Breastfeeding Week

The theme for this year is Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works.

Fully recovered mothers, productive workers

Unarguably, while the six month paid maternity leave helps mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies, it also helps them to recover faster and better, making resuming work seamless and productive.

For a primary school teacher in Akure, Ondo State, Serifat Adelegan, there was a clear difference after comparing her experiences with three children.

She had only three months of maternity leave for her first two children but enjoyed six months with her last baby.

“The experience was not as sweet as the last baby. So those moments I missed with my first two children, in terms of care, at least I was able to have them with the last baby,” the teacher said.

Although she recovered quickly after delivery, she said the additional months allowed her to devote more time to childcare while pursuing a master’s degree.

By the time Adelegan resumed work, she felt healthier and more confident.

“My baby had settled into a routine, and exclusive breastfeeding had already been established. I returned to work with greater confidence and less stress than I experienced when I resumed after only three months,” the teacher said.

For mothers still enjoying the leave, the benefits continue to unfold.

Imole, who is four months into her six-month maternity leave, said she has completely healed from delivery and is looking forward to returning to work when she and her baby are ready.

“The extended time at home has greatly strengthened the bond between my baby and me,” she said.

An administrative officer in the Ekiti State civil service, Aanuoluwapo, said, “A rested and healthy employee is a productive employee. I came back focused and committed because I didn’t feel forced to choose between my baby and my job. Six months reduces absenteeism and stress later. It’s an investment, not a loss.”

Six-month maternity leave boosts babies’ health

Breastfeeding and nutrition experts say extending paid maternity leave from three to six months improves workplace productivity and reduces healthcare costs.

A Professor of Public Health Nutrition and Maternal and Child Nutrition at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof Beatrice Ogunba, said the World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and that six-month maternity leave supports mothers to achieve this target.

She explained that longer maternity leave allows women to recover physically after childbirth, lowers the risk of postpartum depression, anxiety and stress, strengthens mother-infant bonding, improves maternal confidence, provides sufficient time for postnatal care and management of pregnancy-related complications, and prepares women to return to work healthier.

The breastfeeding and complementary feeding expert stressed that babies also benefit through improved nutrition, stronger immunity, reduced risk of infections, better cognitive and emotional development, healthier growth and stronger attachment to their mothers during the early months.

Continuing, Ogunba said, “Nigeria continues to have poor rates of exclusive breastfeeding, with many mothers going back to work before the six months that are advised. By allowing mothers to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of their child’s life without the stress of an early return to work, a wider implementation of six-month paid maternity leave could significantly increase exclusive breastfeeding rates. Better nutrition, increased immunity, fewer respiratory infections and diarrhoea episodes, less newborn morbidity and mortality, and improved growth and cognitive development would all probably result from this. This will ultimately reduce the prevalence of stunting in Nigeria.”

She said wider adoption of six-month paid maternity leave across states and in the private sector would enable more mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies, leading to better nutrition, stronger immunity, fewer respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases, lower infant illness and deaths, improved growth and cognitive development, and a reduction in childhood stunting.

Only a few states offer six months of paid maternity leave

The professor added that although the WHO and UNICEF recommend adequate paid maternity leave as part of family-friendly workplace policies, only a few Nigerian states currently provide six months of paid leave, making it difficult for many working mothers to sustain exclusive breastfeeding.

She urged governments to “pass laws enforcing paid maternity leave in both the public and private sectors, workplaces should offer workplace breastfeeding assistance like lactation rooms and breastfeeding breaks, and encourage flexible work schedules in order to make six-month maternity leave a reality.”

Also speaking, former Director of Nutrition Services and Health Education at the Osun State Primary Health Care Development Board, James Oloyede, said six months of maternity leave gives women adequate time to recover from the physical and emotional demands of pregnancy and childbirth.

He explained that the period is especially beneficial for mothers who undergo caesarean sections or experience postpartum complications, allowing the body to heal fully before returning to work.

Oloyede said the additional three months also make exclusive breastfeeding easier, strengthen mother-child bonding and improve child survival.

He noted, “An exclusively breastfed child is 40 times less likely to die in the first month than a non-breastfed child.”

He added that mothers who resume work after only three months often struggle to continue exclusive breastfeeding because many workplaces lack breastfeeding rooms, crèches or other support systems, forcing them to introduce infant formula earlier than recommended.

This, he noted, increases babies’ exposure to infections such as diarrhoea and contributes to malnutrition and infant deaths.

The nutrition expert said six-month maternity leave also helps reduce postpartum depression, improves mothers’ confidence and enables them to return to work healthier and more productive.

Speaking on Nigeria’s low exclusive breastfeeding rate, Oloyede said, “The current practice of exclusive breastfeeding rates in Nigeria is less than 30 per cent, which in itself is below the WHO standard of 50 per cent, and below the target of 65 per cent set by 2025 in our national policy on food and nutrition.

“If we support six-month maternity leave for every woman in Nigeria, the chances are that exclusive breastfeeding rates in Nigeria are likely to double the current practice.”

Oloyede urged governments to enact legislation making six months of paid maternity leave mandatory across both the public and private sectors, describing the policy as an investment rather than a financial burden.

He maintained that organisations adopting longer maternity leave enjoy higher employee retention, improved productivity, fewer workplace errors and lower healthcare costs because healthier babies are less likely to fall ill, reducing work absenteeism among mothers.

Six-month leave requires government support – NECA

For his part, the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said extending maternity leave to six months in the private sector was achievable but must be approached through collaboration, evidence and shared financial responsibility, rather than blanket mandates that could cripple smaller businesses.

He said NECA believed that the welfare of employees and the sustainability of businesses were mutually reinforcing, and that supporting working mothers was not only a social imperative but also a sound business strategy that enhanced employee engagement, retention and organisational performance.

Oyerinde said a sustainable approach to six months’ maternity leave would require policy dialogue on shared financing mechanisms, tax incentives, social insurance support, flexible work arrangements, remote working where applicable, phased return-to-work programmes, workplace crèches and nursing facilities.

“These complementary measures can significantly improve maternal and child wellbeing without placing disproportionate financial pressure on employers,” he said.

The industrial relations expert acknowledged that private sector employers had genuine concerns about extending maternity leave, identifying increased labour costs, productivity disruptions, workforce planning challenges, replacement staffing and the financial burden on smaller businesses as the most common.

NECA’s DG said these pressures were more on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, which constituted the majority of employers in Nigeria and were already operating in a challenging environment characterised by high inflation, rising energy costs, infrastructure deficits and multiple taxation.

“Extending fully paid maternity leave from the current statutory period to six months could significantly increase operating costs for many MSMEs,” he said, while stressing that the concerns were not insurmountable.

Oyerinde said the government could introduce fiscal incentives such as tax reliefs, wage support schemes or social insurance mechanisms to share the financial responsibility with employers, and that organisations could leverage flexible work arrangements, digital technologies, phased resumption, cross-training of employees and improved workforce planning to minimise operational disruptions.

The human resources management expert said some organisations, both globally and within Nigeria, had already implemented extended maternity leave policies successfully, but noted that these were generally large corporations with sufficient financial resources, structured workforce planning systems and the operational flexibility to sustain such policies.

“It is important to recognise that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Policies that are sustainable for large multinational organisations may not be immediately feasible for SMEs or businesses operating within sectors with thin operating margins,” he said, adding that organisations should be encouraged to adopt family-friendly policies that align with their operational realities while progressively improving employee welfare.

On whether NECA planned to formally encourage private companies to adopt six months’ paid maternity leave, Oyerinde said the association believed such adoption should evolve through evidence-based consultation and enabling government policies rather than through mandatory requirements imposed without adequate support mechanisms.

“Our role as the authentic voice of business is to facilitate constructive dialogue between employers, government and workers in pursuit of balanced labour policies that protect employees while safeguarding enterprise sustainability and national competitiveness,” he said.

Oyerinde said NECA would continue to encourage organisations to adopt innovative, family-friendly workplace practices that aligned with their operational realities, and would advocate public policies that strengthened social protection systems and created an environment where employers could confidently invest more in the welfare of their workforce.

“Ultimately, the objective should be to build workplaces where businesses thrive, employees flourish, and the Nigerian economy benefits from increased productivity, inclusive growth and sustainable employment,” NECA’s DG said.

Janet Ogundepo

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