- Breastfeeding is one of the most effective public health interventions, with benefits that begin in the first hour of life and improve the health of both mothers and children throughout their lives.
- Breast milk is far more than nutrition. It adapts to a baby's changing needs, strengthens the immune system, and is associated with better long-term health, education, and economic outcomes.
- Supporting breastfeeding is a public policy priority. Adequate maternity leave, trained health professionals, workplace support, and stronger health systems are essential to enable more mothers to breastfeed if they choose to do so.
Within the first hour of life, one of the most effective and cost-effective public health interventions takes place. Before any medical exam or vaccine, a newborn can receive the food that is best suited to their needs: breast milk. Yet millions of children do not fully benefit from this first food.
Inadequate breastfeeding has consequences for the health of both mothers and babies, as well as for economies. According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated to cost the global economy nearly US$339 billion each year. Promoting and protecting breastfeeding is therefore a public health priority that requires sustained policies and coordinated action.
In this context, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through the Salud Mesoamerica Initiative (SMI), supported governments across the region in strengthening maternal and child health while also generating evidence on breastfeeding practices in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, and the Mexican state of Chiapas. The findings revealed substantial differences across countries. While Guatemala achieved an exclusive breastfeeding rate of 76.8% among infants under six months of age, Panama reached 44.5%, highlighting the need to strengthen policies that support mothers.
Breast milk is not a fixed formula. It changes from one day to the next and even throughout a single feeding: it begins thinner to quench thirst and becomes richer in fat to satisfy hunger. A mother's first milk is perfectly calibrated to the tiny stomach of a newborn. When either the mother or the baby is exposed to an infection, breast milk responds by producing specific antibodies in real time—a process that no laboratory has been able to replicate.
For children, breastfeeding reduces the risk of diarrhea and pneumonia, promotes healthy growth, and strengthens the immune system. For mothers, frequent breastfeeding releases oxytocin, which strengthens the emotional bond with the baby and reduces the risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Breastfeeding also supports faster recovery after childbirth and lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
The World Health Organization's recommendation is clear, yet often misunderstood: exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months means only breast milk, with no other liquids or solid foods—not even water. Many families believe babies need additional water, especially in hot climates. They do not. Breast milk is 88% water and fully meets an infant's hydration needs.
The benefits extend well beyond infancy. A study that followed thousands of individuals in Pelotas, Brazil, from birth to age 30 found that those who had been breastfed for longer had higher IQ scores, more years of schooling, and higher monthly earnings in adulthood, regardless of their socioeconomic background.
Breastfeeding is also one of the most cost-effective health interventions available. Families save on infant formula and feeding supplies, while health systems reduce spending on consultations and hospitalizations for preventable illnesses. Overall, scaling up health system support would generate long-term economic benefits of approximately $59 for every $1 invested. Few public health interventions offer comparable returns.
Given such compelling evidence, why is breastfeeding so often not initiated or discontinued earlier than recommended? The answer is rarely a lack of willingness. More often, other factors are involved: inaccurate information, insufficient support during the first days after childbirth, difficulties balancing breastfeeding with work, or persistent myths—that breast size determines milk supply, that thinner milk is less nutritious, that mothers should stop breastfeeding if they have the flu, or that ongoing pain is normal. None of these beliefs is true, and many breastfeeding challenges can be addressed with timely information and support.
Perhaps the most harmful myth is the belief that when breastfeeding does not work, the responsibility lies solely with the mother. In reality, what often fails is the support system around her.
This is where the most important shift in perspective occurs: if breastfeeding depends so heavily on the support mothers receive, then protecting it is no longer a private matter—it becomes a public policy decision. Adequate maternity leave, breastfeeding and pumping facilities in the workplace—including for women in the informal economy—postpartum health professionals trained in breastfeeding support, stronger human milk banks—which are essential, for example, when illness prevents direct breastfeeding—and appropriate regulation are all critical. These measures create the conditions that make breastfeeding possible by ensuring mothers have the information, time, and support they need.
During this World Breastfeeding Week, the IDB reaffirms its commitment to supporting countries across Latin America and the Caribbean in generating evidence, strengthening public policies, and advancing interventions that enable more mothers to breastfeed, if they choose to do so.