According to World Health Organisation's (WHO) calculations, every year, the untimely death of 15 lakh children can be prevented if they are only breast fed during the first six months after birth. In the last 5 years, our country has seen a rise from 47 percent to 64 percent inbreast feeding to infants up to 6 months.

Immediately after birth, the new-born should be breast-fed at the earliest within half an hour. For the first 6 whole months (180 days), the infant should be breast-fed exclusively. After that, the child should be breast fed along with solid food side by side. The first milk produced by the mother after giving birth is called colostrum. Colostrum is dense, sticky, and pale yellow in colour. It is extremely beneficial for the infant and works as the child's first ever vaccine. Here are some of the benefits of colostrums: 
*  It is rich in protein
*  It cleanses the child's stomach and helps in regular bowel movement
*  It reduces the possibility of the infant developing neonatal jaundice
*  After childbirth, the amount of milk produced in the first 2-3 days is sufficient for the newborn. Feeding the infant water, honey, or sugared water is extremely harmful. It increases the possibility of the infant getting diarrhoea. Moreover, its eagerness to feed on breast milk decreases.
*  Breast milk contains all the necessary nutritional elements for the baby. Up till the age of 6 months, breast milk alone is sufficient.  Besides nutritional elements, breast milk is comprised of 90 percent water, which is why the infant does not need any additional water during the first 6 months of life.
*  Breast milk is clean and free of germs. It has no chance of being affected by airborne or waterborne germs.
*  Moreover, breast milk capacitates the infant to prevent diseases, which is why the child becomes less vulnerable to diseases especially diarrhoea, ear infection, pneumonia, lung diseases, asthma, allergy, itching, etc.
*  Breast milk enhances the child's growth. Also, it facilitates natural physical and mental growth.
*  Even if the child catches any disease, the child recovers faster due to greater resistance to diseases.
*  It reduces the mortality rate of infants.
*  It is easily digestible.
*  It contains optimum amount of Vitamin A, which eliminates the child's chances of catching night blindness.
However, breast feeding is not only beneficial for the child, it is necessary for the mother as well.
*  It creates an emotional attachment between the mother and child.
Breastfeeding the child helps rescue the mother's body from post-partum complications.
*  Breastfeeding helps the mother's uterus recover faster from the disturbances during pregnancy. In addition, to an extent it controls the post-partum bleeding. Moreover, it paves a beautiful way to strengthen the bond with the child and develops positive feelings within a mother.

*  Breastfeeding reduces the chances of developing breast and ovarian cancer, and helps the mother reduce her weight after childbirth.

The Government of Bangladesh has taken various initiatives to ensure proper nutrition for mothers and their children. In addition to government initiatives, private organisations such as different hospitals have come forward to establish lactation corners and are playing a significant role, also conducting various scientific workshops to raise awareness about the benefits of breast milk. Greater awareness is needed to ensure achievement of millennium development goals for the large population of this country. In this age, where half of the working population consists of women, a greater mother-friendly workplace is extremely important.

Today's children are tomorrow's future. Come, let us work together to build an excellent future with these children, and let us build a beautiful Bangladesh.

The writer is the Company Doctor for Nestle Bangladesh Ltd.