Unicef urges 6 months of breastfeeding

MANILA, Philippines - The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) yesterday urged mothers to fully breastfeed their children for six months after birth to ensure their protection against diseases and to boost their mental and physical development.

“Breastfeeding is directly linked to reducing death toll of children under five,” Unicef said in a statement.

Only 34 percent of Filipino mothers breastfeed their children exclusively for first six months after birth, and the number drops to two percent at one year.

Unicef noted that one of the factors for this is the “lack of a strong enabling environment that supports breastfeeding mothers.”

“With so much at stake, we need to do more to reach women with a simple, powerful message: Breastfeeding can save your baby’s life,” said Unicef executive director Anthony Lake.

Lake added that “no other preventive intervention is more cost effective in reducing the number of children who die before reaching their fifth birthdays.”

The call was made in line with the global celebration of World Breastfeeding Week.

Unicef has urged global partners “to call for the benefits of breastfeeding to be broadcast beyond clinics and delivery rooms to the public at large, ensuring that young people, both in the developing world and in wealthier countries, understand the importance of breastfeeding long before they become parents.”