
Out of five babies in the world two receive immediate breastfeeding after being born, as per the recent report published jointly by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
As a result of not drinking mother’s milk within hours after being born, an estimated 78 million newborns have a serious risk of death each year, report reveals.
Instant breastfeeding has been found common in East and Southern Africa, while in East Asia and the Pacific the breastfeeding rate is less.
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“When it comes to the start of breastfeeding, timing is everything. In many countries, it can even be a matter of life or death,” said Henrietta Fore, executive director of UNICEF.