Early breastfeeding could save a million lives.

On Friday the British newspaper The Independent carried a story about new research showing that early breastfeeding could save nearly a quarter of the 4 million babies in the developing world who now die within the first month of life.

The article reports that the study, the first to examine the effect of early breastfeeding on infant survival, found the following:

Field workers running a research project in remote Ghanaian villages have discovered that the surest way to keep a baby alive is for the mother to start breastfeeding within an hour of the baby being born. If the first feed from the mother's breast is delayed for even one day, they found the risk of the child dying within a month more than doubles.

The death rate was particularly high among new- born babies fed on other fluids or solids, who were found to be about four times as likely to die in the first month as babies who drank nothing but breast milk. Colostrum, the first milk produced after childbirth, is rich in a variety of components that help the gut to grow and build resistance to infection. Any substitute, like animal milk, can disrupt the normal function of the gut.

In remote villages, the substitute is likely to be a home-made feed, possibly made with unclean water, comprised of cereals, animal milk and herbal concoctions or other liquids low in nutrients, which can damage the digestion or expose the baby to disease. A mother holding a child to her breast is also keeping it warm, reducing the risk of hypothermia.

The article notes that this research was carried out in a region of Ghana which has a low rate of HIV.  The World Health Organization advises mothers who are infected not to breastfeed if a safe alternative is available (more here).

One of the things I love about breastfeeding is that it is one of the cheapest and simplest ways of improving public health.  In most cases it doesn't require a lot of money, equipment, or expertise.  Reading this article made me wonder how many more babies would survive with some small and simple changes like promoting and supporting early feeding, and discouraging the use of unsafe supplements.  Your thoughts?