Importance Of Exclusive Breastfeeding

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is defined as “an infant’s consumption of human milk with no supplementation of any type (no water, no juice, no nonhuman milk, and no foods) except for vitamins, minerals, and medications until six months”.

Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) for six months is important for both infant and maternal health. Infants who are not exclusively breastfeeding are more likely to develop gastrointestinal infections, not only in developing but also in industrialized countries. The risk of mortality due to diarrhea and other infections can increase many-fold in infants who are either partially breastfed or not breastfed at all. During the first two months of life, infants who are not breastfed are nearly six times more likely to die from infectious diseases than infants who are breastfed; between 2 and 3 months, non-breastfed infants are 4 times more likely to die compared to breastfed infants.