QUEZON City, Philippines – The World Breastfeeding Week is an annual celebration held every year from August 1 to 7 in more than 120 countries.
Breastfeeding for the first six months of life delivers a great health benefits not only for the baby but for the mother as well. Such benefits include providing critical nutrients, protection from deadly diseases such as pneumonia and fostering growth and development for the infants.
Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the feeding of babies and young children with milk from a woman’s breast. The World Health Organization (WHO), among many other international health regulatory bodies, strongly recommends breastfeeding at least for the first 6 months going up to two years.
“Colostrum, the yellowish, sticky breast milk produced at the end of pregnancy, is recommended as the perfect food for the newborn, and feeding should be initiated within the first hour after birth,” WHO suggests. 
