Every child deserves the best start in
life, and breastfeeding provides exactly that. It is nature’s first vaccine, a
shield against disease, and the foundation of lifelong health.
Breastfeeding remains one of the best investments to promote
child health and survival. Breastfeeding is not just a
mother’s responsibility; it is a shared responsibility of society. The first
1,000 days of life – from conception to a child’s second birthday – determine
much of their future health, brain development and productivity.
It provides vital nourishment for growth and
protects babies from many illnesses, such as diarrhoea and pneumonia.
Additionally, it lowers health costs for families and the nation.
Breastfeeding offers lifelong benefits to the mother, including added protection from certain cancers and heart disease, mental health benefits, supports birth spacing and creates stronger bonds between mother and child.
Breastfeeding helps children grow healthier and smarter, stay in school longer and earn more money as adults. It also saves families and countries money by improving health and reducing medical costs.
Undernutrition is estimated to be associated with 2.7 million child deaths annually, or 45 per cent of all child deaths. According to WHO and Unicef, breastfeeding of children up to two years of age can save the lives of more than 820,000 children under five years of age each year.
Despite the overwhelming evidence of its benefits, breastfeeding challenges remain. For example, while significant progress has been made to
increase exclusive breastfeeding rates for infants up to six months of age, less
than one in two (44 per cent) infants reach that milestone globally. In Kenya, 61 per cent of Kenyan infants under six months are exclusively
breastfed, falling short of the World Health
Organization’s target of at least 70 per cent.
Constitution of Kenya (Article 53(1)(c)) guarantees every child's right to nutrition, healthcare and shelter, positioning breastfeeding as a constitutional right. Yet mothers face challenges to breastfeeding every day. The Employment Act (2012) mandates three months of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave to protect breastfeeding rights, while the Health Act requires employers with 30+ employees to provide a clean, private lactation room with access to storage facilities.
Additionally, the Breast Milk Substitutes (Regulation and
Control) Act, 2012, enforces strict labelling and promotional restrictions
on formula, feeding bottles, teats and pacifiers. Kenya’s policies are steps
in the right direction. But policies alone are not enough; we must build a
culture that truly values and supports breastfeeding mothers.
Many Kenyan mothers face significant barriers to breastfeeding, including cultural and social norms, short maternity leave, workplace challenges such as a lack of breastfeeding-friendly facilities and stigma associated with breastfeeding in public spaces. Support from healthcare workers, households and communities is often inadequate. Aggressive marketing of breastmilk substitutes and feeding bottles further undermines breastfeeding efforts.
Additionally, insufficient community-based counselling, limited involvement of partners and families in breastfeeding decisions and various physical or medical challenges contribute to these barriers. Despite progress in workplace support for breastfeeding, particularly following the Health Act 2017, which mandates lactation rooms and flexible working hours, significant challenges persist.
A study by Ickes et al.
(2022) revealed that 73 per cent of Kenyan employers still lack breastfeeding
facilities. This shortfall, combined with structural, legal, and cultural
barriers, continues to hinder mothers from exclusively breastfeeding their
infants for the recommended first six months, as advised by the World Health
Organization.
Investing in breastfeeding support
generates extraordinary returns. Every $1 (Sh129) invested in breastfeeding yields $35 (Sh4,517) in health and economic benefits (WHO, 2017). In Kenya alone, meeting
breastfeeding targets could save Sh750 million in healthcare costs and
Sh1.5 billion in productivity annually (Unicef, 2019).
Breastfeeding support empowers women
by creating enabling environments for working mothers. It also contributes to
better educational outcomes because healthier, well-nourished children are more
likely to achieve their full cognitive potential, perform well in school and
become productive members of society.
The
week, August 1–7, the global community celebrates World Breastfeeding
Week under the theme: “Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create
Sustainable Support Systems.” World Breastfeeding Week is a chance for
us to reflect and take action to promote, protect and support breastfeeding
and its positive impact on infant and maternal health and nutrition. It aims
at building stronger, more equitable support systems for breastfeeding mothers
within healthcare facilities, communities and homes.
This
year’s World Breastfeeding Week theme calls on employers to lead in
establishing breastfeeding corners, allowing flexible time for breastfeeding
mothers and advocating longer maternity leave to enable breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is a shared responsibility. Let us recommit to our role in
supporting mothers—through our programmes, policies and everyday actions—to
ensure every child gets the healthiest start in life.
Senior nutrition adviser with a leading international NGO
