Bottle-feeding trend linked to 33,700 child deaths every year

KARACHI: While the trend of bottle-feeding children is on the rise, it has been revealed that the declining culture of breastfeeding claims 33,000 children’s lives annually.

Only one out of five children receives mother’s milk within the first hour of birth, alongside an alarming rise in bottle-feeding and formula milk usage.

Experts from the Sindh Institute of Child Health & Neonatology, addressing a media workshop at the Karachi Press Club, revealed critical facts, stating that a whopping 33,700 children lose their lives annually due to insufficient breastfeeding.

Child deaths include those from treatable diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia.

The health experts noted that only 48 percent of children under six months of age receive mother’s milk. Furthermore, the risk of death from various diseases increases by 15 percent in children who are not breastfed.

Experts emphasized that initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and relying entirely on mother’s milk for the first six months is vital.

They also clarified that breastfeeding is not solely the mother’s responsibility; the entire society—including fathers, family members, doctors, hospitals, and employers—must provide a suitable environment for mothers to breastfeed their children.

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Because supporting a mother in this way guarantees a healthy generation.