Photo of the Week: The Importance of Breastfeeding

Photo: Michael Bisceglie/Save the Children

Female Community Health Volunteer (FCHV) Bhagirathu counsels 18 year-old mother, Hemanti Dangora on breastfeeding her 28 day-old baby. Bhagirathi counsels mothers in the Kanchanpur Districton of Nepal on immunization, family planning and breastfeeding.

This week, Save the Children released its State of the World's Mothers 2012 report. In it is highlighted the need for immediate and exclusive breastfeeding for a newborn. According to the report, six months of exclusive breastfeeding increases a child's chance at least survival six-fold. Pregnancy and infancy are the most important periods for brain development. Mothers and babies need good nutrition to lay the foundation for the child’s future cognitive, motor and social skills, school success and productivity.

The report details a vicious cycle of young mothers, who may themselves have been stunted in childhood, going on to give birth to underweight babies who have not been adequately nourished in the womb. If a mother is impoverished, overworked, poorly educated and in poor health, she may not be able to feed the baby adequately, with largely irreversible effects. The report highlights that the best method for breaking this cycle and protecting the pregnant mother and her baby from malnutrition is to focus on the first 1000 days starting from pregnancy.

• Breastfeeding Policy Scorecard for Developed Countries
• Key Nutrition Interventions in the First 1000 Days
• Infant and Toddler Feeding Score Card