It is extremely crucial that a baby is breastfed in under one hour after birth. Early breastfeeding curbs the risk of neonatal mortality (death between zero to one month of age), according to a study published in Public Library of Science (PLOS) One journal. Researchers found that infants who had been breastfed one hour after birth had a 33 per cent less risk of dying as compared to those who were breast fed between 2 to 23 hours after birth. “Infants who started on breastfeeding 24 hours after birth had over two times the risk of neonatal mortality,” the study states. However, only 50 per cent of world’s infants are breastfed during the first hour of their life.

Source: dna August 21, 2017 03:00 UTC