Babies who are not breastfed by their mothers are more likely to die

If you are about to give birth, this is the most important advice, try to breastfeed your child immediately after birth, as UNICEF and the World Health Organization have announced that 78 million children, or 60% of newborns, are not breastfed within the first hour after birth, which increases their risk of death. and disease. The report, issued today by the two organizations, after analyzing data from 76 countries, revealed that most children who delay breastfeeding after birth are born in low- and middle-income countries, and are less likely to continue breastfeeding.
The report added that the odds of survival for newborns who are breastfed in the first hour of their life are much higher than others, while a delay of even a few hours after birth may lead to fatal consequences, according to what the Anadolu Agency reported.

The report stated that contact between mother and child and breastfeeding stimulates the production of breast milk, including the production of colostrum, which is the “first vaccine” for the child and is very rich in nutrients and antibodies.
“When it comes to initiating breastfeeding, timing is the most important factor, it is the difference between death or life in many countries,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. However, every year millions of newborns miss out on the benefits of early breastfeeding, often for reasons we can change.”
"The unfortunate reality is that mothers do not receive adequate support to breastfeed during those crucial first minutes after birth, even from health facility staff," she added.
The report revealed that breastfeeding rates within the first hour after birth are highest in Eastern and Southern Africa (65%), and lowest in East Asia and the Pacific (32%).
In the first hour, 9 out of 10 babies are breastfed in Burundi, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu, by contrast, only 2 out of 10 are breastfed in Azerbaijan, Chad and Montenegro.
“Breastfeeding gives children the best possible start in life,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We urgently need to scale up support for mothers, whether from family members, health care workers, employers or governments, so they can Giving their children the start they deserve.”
The report indicated that despite the importance of early initiation of breastfeeding, many newborns wait a long time to be breastfed, for various reasons, including feeding the newborns foodstuffs or drinks, including formula milk, or for the elderly feeding the infant with honey, or for health workers to Giving the newborn a certain liquid, such as sweetened water or infant formula, can delay the newborn's first critical contact with the mother.
The report noted the increase in the reason for delaying breastfeeding is also the number of elective caesarean sections. In Egypt, the rates of caesarean sections more than doubled between 2005 and 2014, reaching from 20% to 52% of all deliveries, and during the same period, the rates of early initiation of breastfeeding decreased From 40% to 27%.
The report indicates that rates of early initiation of breastfeeding are significantly lower among newborns delivered by caesarean section, for example, in Egypt, only 19% of caesarean babies were allowed to start breastfeeding in the first hour after birth, compared to 39% of children born naturally.
The report urged governments, donors and other decision-makers to take strong legal measures to restrict the marketing of infant formula and other breast-milk substitutes.