Breastfeeding: A Mother's Gift, for Every Child
2018
This report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) examines breastfeeding practices across the world, describing the importance of breastfeeding to child survival and development as well as to maternal health and well-being, and providing data on breastfeeding prevalence in 123 countries. The report notes that wide disparities exist between low- and high-income countries, with nearly all babies in low-income countries receiving breastmilk at some time during infancy compared to less than 80 percent of babies in high-income countries; it also highlights income-based disparities in breastfeeding rates within countries. The authors articulate many of the underlying factors that contribute to breastfeeding prevalence, including national policies regarding guaranteed parental leave, the right to breastfeed in public, and limitations on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes; greater information and breastfeeding support for new mothers in health facilities; positive social norms; and support from community-based counselors, peers, and male partners. It offers detailed recommendations to governments, the private sector, civil society, and communities in low-, middle-, and high-income countries to encourage and increase breastfeeding rates.
Breastfeeding: A Mother's Gift, for Every Child
Source:
Breastfeeding: A Mother’s Gift, for Every Child. United Nations Children’s Fund 2018. https://data.unicef.org/resources/breastfeeding-a-mothers-gift-for-every-child.