WHO Announces a 10% Rise in Breastfeeding

The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding has increased by 10% in the last decade, to 48% globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO announced this in a joint statement with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which was published on its website to honor World Breastfeeding Week (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Joint statement by UNICEF Executive Director and WHO Director-General on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week

Go to source). Under the theme "Let's Make Breastfeeding at Work, Work," UNICEF and WHO emphasized the need for increased breastfeeding assistance across all workplaces to sustain and improve worldwide breastfeeding rates. Breastfeeding rates have increased significantly in nations as different as Cote d'Ivoire, the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Somalia, and Vietnam, according to global authorities.

The agencies underlined that to meet the global 2030 objective of 70%, the impediments that women and families encounter in reaching their breastfeeding aspirations must be addressed.

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Boosting Breastfeeding Rates with Family-Friendly Policies

Breastfeeding rates for women decline dramatically when they return to work, according to the statement, but this can be reversed if businesses encourage moms to continue breastfeeding their newborns.

“Family-friendly workplace policies – such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks, and a room where mothers can breastfeed or express milk – create an environment that benefits not only working women and their families but also employers,” the statement read. “These policies generate economic returns by reducing maternity-related absenteeism, increasing the retention of female workers, and reducing the costs of hiring and training new staff.”

Breastfeeding is the ultimate child survival and development intervention in a kid's life, according to global organisations.

The report further noted, “Breastfeeding protects babies from common infectious diseases and boosts children’s immune systems, providing the key nutrients children need to grow and develop to their full potential. “Babies who are not breastfed are 14 times more likely to die before they reach their first birthday than babies who are exclusively breastfed.”

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Criticism Over Inadequate Exclusive Breastfeeding in Nigeria

UNICEF and WHO criticised the inadequate exclusive breastfeeding status of nursing moms in Nigeria in 2022, claiming that more than 70% of infants are denied its benefits.

According to the agencies, the exclusive breastfeeding percentage in Nigeria was 29%, with only 9% of organizations having a workplace breastfeeding policy.

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Calling for Enhanced Support for Breastfeeding Working Moms

UNICEF and WHO urged governments, donors, civil society, and the corporate sector to increase efforts to promote a supportive breastfeeding environment for all working moms. Workplaces should provide enough paid leave for all working parents and caregivers to fulfil the requirements of their young children, according to the agencies, and enhance investments in breastfeeding support policies and programs in all settings.

It went on to say that national policies and programs should regulate and promote public and private sector support for breastfeeding mothers at work.

Reference:

1. Joint statement by UNICEF Executive Director and WHO Director-General on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week - (https://www.who.int/news/item/01-08-2023-joint-statement-by-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-and-who-director-general-dr-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus-on-the-occasion-of-world-breastfeeding-week)

Source-Medindia