TEHRAN – Breastfeeding is the only life-giving element which provides health for both the body and the soul of an infant, said Fatemeh Farahmand, university professor and head of the breastfeeding promotion association.

Breast milk being enriched with vital micronutrients helps infants to grow properly, IRNA quoted Farahmand as saying on Saturday.
Breastfeeding guarantees social health and paves the way for achieving sustainable development, the university professor noted.
Breast milk provides the infant with a complete food and protects his/her against different kinds of infections and diseases, she specified.
All mothers who enjoy good health, family support and health-care are able to breastfeed their babies, she emphasized.
Infants, from the early hours of life, need this life-giving liquid and physicians recommend mothers to breastfeed their infants with colostrum as early as their children are born, the Farahmand made the remarks on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week annually celebrated from 1 to 7 August in over 170 countries to promote breastfeeding and improve infant nutrition.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday that some 77 million of the world’s newborns – or 1 in 2 – are not breastfed within the first hour of birth, depriving them of essential nutrients and antibodies and thus exposing them to an increased risk of death.
According to the UN News Center, delaying breastfeeding by two to 23 hours after birth increases the risk of dying in the first 28 days of life by 40 percent. Delaying it by 24 hours or more increases that risk to 80 percent.
“Early breastfeeding can make the difference between life and death,” France Begin, UNICEF Senior Nutrition Adviser, said.
“If all babies are fed nothing but breast milk from the moment they are born until they are six months old, over 800,000 lives would be saved every year,” she added.
Babies who are not breastfed at all are 14 times more likely to die than those who are fed only breast milk.