Breast milk is an ideal solution for infants' nutritional needs in the first months of life - it is safe, it is clean, and contains exactly the energy and nutrition that the child needs to grow and develop in the first six months. Furthermore, during the second half of the baby's first year of life, breast milk can cover up to just over half of the energy and nutritional needs. WHO therefore recommends breastfeeding for at least six months, and that the baby is introduced to safe, well-adapted food in addition to breastfeeding from the age of 6 months - which may continue up to two years or longer.
Despite the fact that breast milk is such an ideal solution to energy and nutritional needs, according to the World Health Organization, only a third of all infants worldwide are breastfed for at least six months. WHO believes that irresponsible advertising of infant formula prevents an improvement in these figures. One goal that WHO is working towards is to increase the proportion of breastfed children to 50% by 2025. To achieve this goal, WHO is running, among other things, the NetCode initiative, which works to monitor and prevent irresponsible marketing of infant formula. Furthermore, it is actively working to train healthcare professionals in providing professional breastfeeding support and helping breastfeeding mothers overcome breastfeeding problems.
Please read more on the WHO website: https://www.who.int/health-topics/breastfeeding
