Opinion | Magic of breastfeeding
Summary
Nepal celebrates World Breastfeeding Week highlighting the importance of early and exclusive breastfeeding to improve child survival and maternal health. Challenges remain for working mothers and misinformation, but national efforts like Baby Friendly Hospital Initiatives and labour laws support breastfeeding mothers.
Key Points
- Early initiation of breastfeeding within an hour can reduce neonatal mortality by 22 percent.
- Exclusive breastfeeding for six months can prevent 13 percent of under-five deaths in low- and middle-income countries.
- In Nepal, 55 percent of newborns are breastfed within the first hour, and 56 percent of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed as per 2022 NDHS.
- Efforts like Baby Friendly Hospital Initiatives and maternity leave laws promote breastfeeding, but challenges like workplace support and cultural myths persist.
