BREAST FEEDING MOST EFFECTIVE,INEXPENSIVE AND LIFE SAVING....UNICEF

In a statement issued on Thursday is Abuja by the United Nations Children’s Fund Communication specialist, Mr.Eric Bishen,described breast feeding as the most effective and inexpensive way of saving a child’s life..

He went further by saying that less than half of children under six months benefiting from exclusive breast feeding, strong leadership in promoting the practice was essential.

“There is no other single health intervention that has such a high impact for babies and mothers as breastfeeding, and which costs so little for governments,” he said.

The statement described breastfeeding as a baby’s “first immunization and the most effective and inexpensive life-saver.”

It said children, who were exclusively breast-fed, were 14 times more likely to survive the first six months of life than non-breast-fed children.

He added that, starting breastfeeding in the first day after birth, can reduce the risk of new-born deaths by 45 per cent and also supported a child’s ability to learn and help prevent obesity and chronic diseases later in life.

The statement added that  “Recent studies in the US and United Kingdom point to large healthcare savings resulting from breast feeding, given that breast fed children fall ill much less often than non-breast fed children,” the statement said.

According to the statement, apart from the benefits to the baby, mothers, who breastfeed exclusively, are less likely to become pregnant in the first six months following delivery , also mothers were expected to recover faster from giving birth and return to their pre-pregnancy weight sooner

.“Evidence shows that they experience less post-partum depression and also have a lower risk of ovarian and breast cancers later in life,” the statement added.

The statement said despite the well-documented benefits of breastfeeding worldwide, only 39 per cent of children, aged less than six months, were exclusively breast-fed in 2012.