With the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) calling for a focus on breastfeeding as the most effective and inexpensive way of saving a child’s life,Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys, World Breastfeeding Week observances commenced yesterday on a global scale.It is the view of the United Nations body that with less than half of all children under six months benefitting from exclusive breastfeeding, strong leadership in promoting the practice is essential.“There is no other single health intervention that has such a high impact for babies and mothers as breastfeeding and which costs so little for governments,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Geeta Rao Gupta. She underscores that “Breastfeeding is a baby’s ‘first immunization’ and the most effective and inexpensive life-saver ever.”Children who are exclusively breastfed are 14 times more likely to survive the first six months of life than non-breastfed children. Starting breastfeeding in the first day after birth can reduce the risk of new-born death by up to 45 per cent.Breastfeeding is also known to supports a child’s ability to learn and helps prevent obesity and chronic diseases later in life.Recent studies in the United States and United Kingdom point to large health care savings resulting from breastfeeding, given that breastfed children fall ill much less often than non-breastfed children.Apart from the benefits to the baby, mothers who breastfeed exclusively are less likely to become pregnant in the first six months following delivery, recover faster from giving birth, and return to their pre-pregnancy weight sooner. Evidence shows that they experience less post-partum depression and also have a lower risk of ovarian and breast cancer later in life.But despite these well documented benefits of breastfeeding worldwide, only 39 per cent of children aged less than six months were exclusively breastfed in 2012, UNICEF has ascertained. This global figure has improved very little for the past several decades, due in part to large countries where the breastfeeding rate is low and to the general lack of a supportive environment for breastfeeding mothers.However, countries with supportive policies and comprehensive programmes that reach all communities have been able to increase their breastfeeding rates significantly.As such,wholesale nfl jerseys, UNICEF states that there needs to be higher prioritisation and commitment, targeted policies and greater consensus to engage the world in promoting this life-saving and vital practice.UNICEF outlines, too, that although breastfeeding is natural and may seem instinctive, it is essential to create an enabling environment for it to become the norm where “mothers benefit from the help of skilled health providers and community workers to support them to breastfeed,Cheap Jerseys Outlet, as well as culturally-sensitive communication,Wholesale Jerseys China, and protective laws and policies,Wholesale China Jerseys Free Shpping, particularly around the marketing of breastmilk substitutes and maternity leave.”Moreover, UNICEF is on a mission to campaign for exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding for two years or beyond, using creative tactics to draw attention to the issue.In this regard, the body recently rolled out a campaign in Uruguay and Argentina,Cheap Soccer Gear, “Giving the breast is giving the best of you,” starring Uruguayan actress Natalia Oreiro, aiming to boost breastfeeding among working mothers.