Research in Ghana has found the best 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 (breastmilk) from the mother is delayed for even one day the risk of the child dying within one month more than doubles.
The researchers studied almost 11,000 babies born within a period of 12 months in Brong Ahafo, Ghana. Those who were breastfed within the first hour had less than a 1 in 150 risk of dying in the first month compared to a risk of 1 in 40 for those who were breastfed later than the first day. Newborn babies who were not exclusively breastfed (only breastmilk) were four times as likely to die in the first month compared to those who were exclusively breastfed.
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