1 August 2024, Cairo, Egypt – Breastfeeding has proven benefits for infants and mums. Yet many women do not breastfeed for as long as they’d like as they lack a supportive environment. This year, the World Breastfeeding Week campaign centres on “Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all”.
Breastfeeding is one of the best ways to ensure a child’s health and survival. WHO recommends that infants are exclusively breastfed until 6 months of age. But, globally, less than half of infants under 6 months are exclusively breastfed.
In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, only about 35% of infants under 6 months are exclusively breastfed. This means that nearly 2 out of 3 infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6 months – a rate that has not improved in 2 decades.
The World Breastfeeding Week campaign from 1 to 7 August recognizes breastfeeding mums and shows policy-makers, health workers, families and society how to support mothers to make breastfeeding work.
Breast-milk is the ideal food for infants. It is safe, and clean and contains antibodies that help protect against many common childhood illnesses. Breast-milk provides all the energy and nutrients an infant needs for the first months of life. It continues to meet as much as half or more of a child’s nutritional needs in the second half of the first year, and up to one-third of these needs in the second year of life.
Studies show that breastfed children perform better on intelligence tests, are less likely to be overweight or obese and are less prone to diabetes later in life. Women who breastfeed reduce their risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
Whole-of-society actions to make breastfeeding work
Effective maternity entitlements that don’t force women to choose between family and work create an enabling environment for mothers to breastfeed their babies. At the policy-making level, new mums should receive at least 18 weeks to 6 months of paid maternity leave, in part to support breastfeeding. This is in addition to paid time off for breastfeeding or to pump and store breast-milk after returning to work.
Adequate paid paternity leave after the birth of a baby is also vital.
Every woman should have access to helpful and respectful breastfeeding counselling from trained health professionals. Equally important is support from families and communities for women to breastfeed anytime, anywhere. Breastfeeding is natural and normal and breastfeeding in public places must not be criticized or prevented.
Breastfeeding improves the health and well-being of infants and mothers but requires adequate support. This calls for investment in breastfeeding support programmes, including protection from formula marketing, which undermines confidence in breastfeeding. Inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes continues to undercut efforts to improve breastfeeding rates and duration worldwide. An end to exploitative baby-milk promotions in all contexts is needed.
This World Breastfeeding Week, let’s put in place all possible support to encourage breastfeeding. With almost two-thirds of infants in the Region not exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life, it’s time to close the gap.
