Module 5: Breastfeeding and Formula Advantages and Disadvantages
of Breastfeeding Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways
to ensure child health and survival. Failure to breastfeed
during the first six months of life contributes to over a
million preventable child deaths each year.(1) There are well
established benefits to the mother and to the child's growth,
mental development, and immunological protection. The World
Health Organization recommends that an infant should be
exclusively breastfed for the first six months, and the child
should continue breastfeeding for two years or more with
supplemental foods. For the mother, exclusive breastfeeding
often induces a lack of menstruation, which is a natural (though
not fail-safe) method of birth control. Breastfeeding also
reduces risks of breast and ovarian cancer later in life, helps
women return to their pre-pregnancy weight faster, and lowers
rates of obesity.(2) Globally less than 40% of infants under six
months of age are exclusively breastfed. In