The Higher Population Council: Breastfeeding is a right for all newborns.

"Mothers shall breastfeed their children for two full years, for those who wish to complete the nursing period. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 233)

Abandoning breastfeeding severely harms the health of both mothers and children and significantly increases parents' expenses

The prohibited promotion of infant formula must be eradicated

The consumption of manufactured infant formula is a major contributor to climate change and environmental degradation!"

The first week of August each year is dedicated to breastfeeding, a practice gaining increasing global attention. This year's theme, "Close the Gap: Breastfeeding for All," emphasizes the critical need to promote and support exclusive breastfeeding due to its substantial health, economic, and social advantages. Breastfeeding is a powerful tool in preventing infant mortality, improving maternal and child health, and driving social and economic progress[1]. Therefore, prioritizing breastfeeding in health and social policies is essential for every society.

Low Practice of Exclusive Breastfeeding in Jordan

In Jordan, only 24% of infants under six months exclusively breastfeed, and 34% initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of life. Moreover, 42% of children aged 6-23 months receive the minimum dietary diversity. Over the past three decades, exclusive breastfeeding rates among infants aged 0-5 months have plummeted from 39% to 24%. This decline is attributed to factors such as limited breastfeeding awareness, misconceptions about breastfeeding after cesarean delivery, the pervasive influence of formula milk promotion, and inadequate support for working mothers.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees every child the right to good nutrition. However, malnutrition remains a critical issue, contributing to 45% of child deaths globally. Moreover, 41 million children grapple with overweight or obesity. Despite its benefits, only about 40% of infants aged 0-6 months receive exclusive breastfeeding. Additionally, a significant proportion of breastfed children aged 6-23 months do not meet dietary diversity and feeding frequency standards[2].

How does breastfeeding contribute to poverty reduction?

Breastfeeding is a potent tool in poverty reduction. Eliminating formula milk and related expenses alleviates financial burdens on families. Furthermore, using infant formula requires large amounts of water to prepare the milk and clean bottles and equipment, which are susceptible to contamination. Breastfeeding also reduces infant illnesses, leading to lower healthcare costs. Moreover, breastfeeding improves children's overall health, increasing their chances of healthy growth and future success.

The World Bank estimates that investing $0.6 billion annually in promoting and protecting breastfeeding could yield economic returns of approximately $30 billion over a decade – a 35-fold return[3].

How Does Breastfeeding Contribute to Environmental Sustainability?

Food production systems and infant formula consumption significantly impact climate change and environmental degradation. The infant formula industry is energy and resource-intensive, involving processes like dairy farming, manufacturing, packaging, and transportation. These activities consume vast amounts of water and energy, generating greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to climate change. Additionally, the use of infant formula requires plastic packaging and bottles, increasing plastic pollution and environmental degradation. In contrast, breastfeeding reduces this environmental impact, as it does not require manufacturing, packaging, or transportation, making it a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option. Promoting breastfeeding can be an important step toward protecting the environment and mitigating the negative effects of climate change[4].

Health Benefits of Breast Milk for Mother and Baby

Breastfeeding is essential for the health of both the infant and the mother. It provides not only the ideal nutrition for infants but also offers a range of health benefits for mothers. For infants, breast milk is the perfect food during the first six months of life, after which complementary foods are recommended while continuing to breastfeed. Breast milk contains protective components that enhance the infant's immune system, active enzymes that aid digestion, and factors that prevent infections. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, ear infections, and supports healthy jaw and teeth development. It also decreases the risk of certain chronic diseases, allergies, and skin rashes, and supports the child's cognitive, physical, and emotional development. Additionally, breastfed infants cry less because the milk is always sterile and at the perfect temperature. Adults who were breastfed as infants tend to have lower rates of overweight and obesity. Breastfed children achieve better results in intelligence.

For mothers, breastfeeding contributes to reducing the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer, and increases resistance to osteoporosis in later life as breastfeeding helps enhance calcium absorption in the body. It also protects the mother from anemia because it helps the uterus return to its position and stop bleeding, reducing excessive blood loss and delaying the return of menstruation after childbirth, thus serving as a natural method of birth control. However, the short duration of exclusive breastfeeding in Jordan makes the duration of amenorrhea in the postpartum period short and the chances of relying on this as a means of avoiding early pregnancy after childbirth ineffective. The term "LAM" is used to describe all women who directly or indirectly indicated the use of this method. Women used this method in the first six months postpartum at a rate of only 0.4%[5]. Breastfeeding mothers lose weight more easily after pregnancy, and there is no need to prepare as milk is always ready. It is also a cheap and economical option. Therefore, breastfeeding not only supports the child's health and growth but also maintains the mother's health and well-being in the long term. Contrary to popular belief, breastfeeding does not cause sagging breasts.

How can we increase the use of breast milk in infant feeding instead of cow's milk formula?[6]

1. Strict adherence to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and World Health Assembly resolutions, including banning the promotion of these substitutes and increasing the number of baby-friendly hospitals.
2. Establishment of monitoring systems in maternity wards, especially in private hospitals, to ensure that mothers are not given free samples of formula milk and related products.
3. Preparation of mothers to initiate breastfeeding should begin early during the last months of pregnancy. The importance of keeping the newborn with the mother immediately after birth should be emphasized to facilitate immediate and continuous physical contact between the mother and the newborn, which is essential for milk production.
4.  Avoiding the introduction of any foods or liquids other than breast milk to breastfed infants during the first six months.
5.  Providing counseling to breastfeeding mothers about the dangers of using baby bottles, artificial nipples, and pacifiers.
6.  Community support, including mother support groups and community activities to promote health and education in the health field.