Breastfeeding, cheapest, effective lifesaver – UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund on Thursday described breast feeding as the most effective and inexpensive way of saving a child’s life, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.


UNICEF’s Communication Specialist, Mr. Eric Bishen, said this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja.

He said with less than half of children under six months benefiting from exclusive breast feeding, strong leadership in promoting the practice was essential.

“There is no other single health intervention that has such a high impact for babies and mothers as breastfeeding, and which costs so little for governments,” he said.

The statement described breastfeeding as a baby’s “first immunisation and the most effective and inexpensive life-saver.”

It said children, who were exclusively breast-fed, were 14 times more likely to survive the first six months of life than non-breast-fed children.

According to  the  statement, starting breastfeeding in the first day after birth, can reduce the risk of new-born deaths by 45 per cent.

The statement added that breastfeeding also supported a child’s ability to learn and help prevent obesity and chronic diseases later in life.

“Recent studies in the US and United Kingdom point to large healthcare savings resulting from breast feeding, given that breast fed children fall ill much less often than non-breast fed children,” the statement said.

According to the statement, apart from the benefits to the baby, mothers, who breastfeed exclusively, are less likely to become pregnant in the first six months following delivery.

It added that women were also expected to recover faster from giving birth and return to their pre-pregnancy weight sooner.

“Evidence shows that they experience less post-partum depression and also have a lower risk of ovarian and breast cancers later in life,” the statement added.

The statement said despite the well-documented benefits of breastfeeding worldwide, only 39 per cent of children, aged less than six months, were exclusively breast-fed in 2012.

It added that the global figure had improved very little for the past several decades due in part to large countries where breastfeeding rate was low and to the general lack of a supportive environment for breast feeding mothers.

According to the statement, countries with supportive policies and comprehensive programmes that reach all communities have been able to increase their breast feeding rates significantly.

UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive from early childhood through adolescence.

The World Breast feeding Week is commemorated from Aug 1 to Aug 7 yearly to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. The 2013 theme is, “Breastfeeding Support: Close to Mothers.”