5 things you need to know about breastfeeding around the world

If breast milk is the best, why hasn't the world invested in it yet?

According to Newsweek, most pediatric health experts agree that, when considering the development of infants, breast milk is best. Many studies have shown great benefits of breastfeeding.Breastmilk enhances the child's immune system and protects children from illness. Some studies have even found a relationship between breastfeeding and IQ development in the first months of development. In addition, breastfeeding also tightens feelings between mothers and babies.

Breastfeeding tightens the emotions between mother and baby.

However, according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), despite these documented benefits, no country in the world has fully responded. meet the standards of breastfeeding.

The 2017 Global Breastfeeding Scorecard program has monitored breastfeeding rates in 194 countries. According to the assessment, only 40% of children under 6 months of age are fully breastfed (breast milk only). There are 23 countries with rates of breastfeeding above 60%. The lack of investment in breastfeeding education and awareness in countries like China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Nigeria has resulted in 236,000 deaths each year, causing $ 119 billion in damage.

But experts say the problem can be overcome easily. It will only cost about 4.7 USD (more than 100,000 VND) for each newborn to increase the rate of babies under 6 months breastfed to 50% by 2025.

The report also provides insight into the obstacles that prevent the introduction of breast milk from being a major source of nutrition for babies. Here are 5 of them:

1. Only 44% of babies worldwide are breastfed within the first hour after birth. Global health officials want to increase this number to 77%.
2. The main reason why mothers do not breastfeed is due to work . Only more than 10% of countries in the report provide at least 18 weeks of maternity leave and still ensure income.
3. The World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi) program was initiated in 2004 to help countries evaluate policies and programs on breastfeeding practice. However, only 77 countries completed evaluating these activities with WBTi's tools in the last 5 years.
4. The battle for breastfeeding with breast milk is also a declaration of war on milk powder . In the 1980s, global health officials admitted that advertising and marketing for infant formula made mothers not breastfeed their babies. The World Health Assembly adopted the International Code for the Sales of Breast Milk Substitutes in 1981. Unfortunately, there are only 39 in The 194 countries in the report have issued this law, which means companies continue to earn huge profits from powdered milk, at the cost of public health.
5. Many countries do not monitor whether mothers are breastfeeding and how they do it. Only 40% of countries have actually conducted surveys on the success of breastfeeding programs over the past 5 years.