In Honor of Mother’s Milk: World Breastfeeding Week 2025
By Aparna V. Agarwal, Lactation Consultant, Rosewalk by Rainbow Hospitals
World Breastfeeding Week 2025: Every year, World Breastfeeding Week is observed from August 1 to August 7; the theme for this year being ‘Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems’.
Despite the global efforts of protecting and promoting breastfeeding, the breastfeeding rates across the majority of nations remain low. World Breastfeeding Week 2025, underlines the need to put in systems in place that bridges the gaps and empowers mothers’ for breastfeeding, which is a joint public health priority.
Breastmilk: Nature’s First Gift to a Newborn
One of the best ways to welcome a newborn is to breastfeed them. The first milk of the mother, which is also called the ‘colostrum’, is like a baby's first vaccine. Breastmilk is uniquely custom made by the mother’s body for her baby; and it contains live cells and antibodies crucial to build the newborns immunity system. Breastmilk is not only rich in protein and fats, it is filled with all the essential vitamins, enzymes and hormones that help shape a baby’s gut microbiome. An early initiation of breastfeeding for an infant helps to protect them against infections and chronic illnesses.
Breastfeeding: A Collective Commitment
Breastfeeding is one of the most important parenting decisions that a parent undertakes, and a family needs to be supported all throughout their journey. This can happen by way of skilled lactation support and creating sustainable support systems, because breastfeeding is not just a mother’s job; it is a shared responsibility of the family and together as a nation. In a way, we owe this to our future generations to ensure that they get the best start to their life, by supporting breastfeeding.
Global Recommendations & The WHO Code
World Health Organisation (WHO) and major health bodies recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of the newborns life; complementary feeding 6 months onwards, and breastfeeding through the first 2 years of the baby’s life and then, for as long as the mother and baby desire.
The WHO Code, also referred to as the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes also needs to be enforced well. This aims to protect and promote breastfeeding by advocating that breastmilk substitutes are to be used responsibly, and only when necessary.
Debunking Myths Around Breastfeeding
There are several societal myths related to breastfeeding that do not have any scientific backing. One of the most common being that a mother would never be able to make enough milk for her child. This claim is baseless, just like a mothers body bears the child in the womb during pregnancy, the same body is capable of breastfeeding the newborn as well, provided there is support made available to the mother. Another common myth is that, a mothers milk looses its nutritional value post the 6 month mark - the fact being that breastmilk continues to offer huge immunological and nutritional benefits, even when the baby starts to eat solids.
A newborn's cry is often associated with hunger, and consequently if the mother is breastfeeding, the mother is held responsible and made to feel guilty. However, newborns cry for more reasons than one. Babies are used to a warm cushioned environment inside their mother’s womb, and it takes a while for them to settle into the new world. Skin to skin, kangaroo care and a lot of positive reassurance both to the mother and baby, help the new mother and her baby to settle well into the postpartum period.
Support That Makes a Difference
Breastfeeding should be looked at as a joint responsibility, and that is why we need sustainable support systems that defy common challenges faced by a mother. These would include equitable frameworks for breastfeeding mothers at work, health systems that empower families, and most importantly having a mindset change in the mother's immediate family to give unconditional support in the breastfeeding journey.