Breast milk is the most complete form of nutrition for infants. Breastfeeding remains the simplest, healthiest and least expensive feeding method that fulfils the infant’s nutritional needs. It is thus the sustainable way to feed a baby in the first six months of life, to prevent malnutrition and its complications, especially in the developing countries.
It is recommended that mothers should breastfeed their children exclusively for 6 months from birth and to continue breastfeeding, while the child is receiving appropriate and adequate complementary foods, up to the second year of life or later.
Exclusive breastfeeding from birth is possible for most mothers and sufficient for all babies except for a few medical conditions. Unrestricted exclusive breastfeeding results in ample milk production.