“Breastfeeding Safeguards our Most Precious Possessions.”

Crisis situations often involve the compromise of our fundamental needs as humans, including access to water, food, shelter, adequate sleep, and safety. During such times, breastfeeding becomes crucial for both the mother and baby to mitigate the risks of death, illness, social isolation, and discomfort.

Crises can manifest in various forms such as natural disasters, wars, or pandemics, putting families at risk of displacement and harm. In these circumstances, separating mother and baby can have detrimental effects, making it imperative to keep them together in the nurturing embrace of the mother.

The introduction of artificial feeding, such as infant formula, during a crisis puts infants at heightened risk of infection, severe dehydration, and even death. The lack of clean water for sterilizing bottles and preparing formula increases the risk of contamination. While adults and older children may withstand infections for a limited time, infants under one year old face significantly higher risks due to their vulnerability. Exclusive breastfeeding at the breast markedly reduces the risk of mortality. Remarkable instances, such as during floods in Botswana in 2006, have shown that breastfed babies had a higher survival rate compared to formula-fed infants, underscoring the critical importance of breastfeeding during crises.

Lactating individuals should not take their ability to breastfeed for granted, particularly when caring for infants under six months old. Inadequate shelter may hinder privacy and support for breastfeeding, potentially leading to a decrease in milk supply if breastfeeding is postponed. Unfortunately, infant formula companies and regulatory agencies often fall short in monitoring the distribution and handling of formula during emergencies, despite it being perceived as a priority need. However, for breastfeeding families, reliance on formula can lead to adverse outcomes as breastfeeding cannot simply be resumed once conditions improve. This underscores the necessity for exclusive breastfeeding during emergent situations.

While pumping may be considered an alternative to breastfeeding, challenges such as limited access to clean water for equipment sterilization and lack of electricity for refrigeration pose significant barriers. Despite our hopes to avoid crisis situations, life's unpredictability necessitates proactive measures to protect breastfeeding. I encourage all lactating mothers to safeguard their milk supply until their child is at least two years old. While I respect families' decisions to formula-feed, it's crucial to acknowledge the potential consequences. As a society, we should strive to provide pharmaceutical options to induce or enhance milk production and invest in research to support mothers in achieving their breastfeeding goals. Ensuring all infants have access to the gold standard nutrition—breast milk—is a fundamental human right.