International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

More should be done to promote the benefits of breastfeeding, experts have insisted.

According to Unicef, newborn health in developing nations could be improved dramatically if more women chose to breastfeed.

Indeed, executive director Anthony Lake said this would enable a great number of youngsters to "survive and thrive, with lower rates of disease, malnutrition and stunting".

However, Unicef believes many women are failing to take up this option for many reasons, such as "widespread and unethical marketing" of breast milk substitutes, as well as "poor national policies that don't support maternity leave".

Estimates suggest that greater promotion of breastfeeding could help prevent about one million child deaths in developing nations, as it can help tackle conditions such as pneumonia and diarrhoea.

Nevertheless, figures from Unicef indicate that just 39 per cent of women in these countries feed their babies with breast milk.

The organisation is currently staging World Breastfeeding Week to promote this option across the globe.

Posted by Carla Mackenzie