The World Health Organization (WHO) was today accused of “punishing” women after urging new mothers to breastfeed for six months.
In a post on Facebook, the UN agency said “everyone had a role” in ensuring that women could “exclusively breastfeed” for six months, meaning they were not allowed to supplement with bottle feeding.
Under this guidance, family members, employers and policy makers were also encouraged to ensure that they support new mothers in achieving this goal.
Experts have reacted angrily online, claiming the fixation on breastfeeding is “dictatorial” and “unhelpful”.
Experts said the wording of the post was “appalling” and “unrealistic”. Others claimed the WHO was “interfering” in the “personal and family lives” of women and called it “sinister”.
In a Facebook post, the UN agency said that “everyone had a role” in ensuring that women could “exclusively breastfeed” — meaning they could not provide additional nutrition with formula — for six months. The guidance also encouraged families, employers and policymakers to ensure they support new mothers to achieve this goal.
But experts have reacted angrily online, claiming the fixation on breastfeeding was “dictatorial” and “unhelpful”. Experts said the wording of the post was “appalling” and “unrealistic”. Others claimed the WHO was “interfering” in women’s “personal and family lives” and branded it “sinister”.
In a post on X, London-based clinical psychologist Dr Ruth Ann Harpur wrote: ‘Hey @WHO the only person who can decide whether to exclusively breastfeed children for six months is the woman doing it.
‘We do not need the whole society to interfere in our private and family lives.
‘Can you please now implement a realistic strategy for infant feeding in poor communities, prioritizing access to formula and clean drinking water for every baby. Because the last time I checked, trials of your exclusive breastfeeding ploy resulted in an increase in severe stunting in these communities.’
Meanwhile, Professor Lucy Easthope, an expert in emergency planning and disaster recovery at Durham University, said: ‘This is appalling, punitive, dictatorial and unhelpful @WHO — your communications are going from bad to worse.’
Campaign group Infant Feeding Alliance, which advocates for safe infant feeding policies, also said: ‘Does the WHO really think women are so reckless that we need the whole world to interfere in our private lives so we can meet their completely unrealistic breastfeeding targets?’
The NHS currently recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and then breastfeeding alongside formula until the child is two years old.
This is due to the benefits it offers, such as protection against infections and a good balance of nutrients.
According to the health service, breastfeeding reduces a baby’s risk of infections, diarrhea, vomiting, sudden infant death syndrome, obesity and, in adulthood, cardiovascular disease.
For mothers, it reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and obesity.
Some studies have also shown that breastfeeding may reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
SIDS, also known as cot death, is the unexplained death of a baby, usually under one year of age.
However, the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world, with only 0.5 per cent of women still breastfeeding when their baby is 12 months old.
For comparison, in Norway this percentage is around 35 percent and in Sweden around 16 percent.
There are several reasons why women cannot breastfeed, such as a lack of milk, sore nipples or problems with the baby’s latch.
Others have long been concerned about the number of newborn babies being hospitalized with dehydration as parents try to continue breastfeeding even when the baby is not getting enough milk.
There are a number of reasons why women are unable to breastfeed, including a lack of milk, sore nipples or difficulty latching on. Experts have previously warned that women can be judged or made to feel guilty about the decisions they make when it comes to feeding their babies.
The NHS currently also recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months, and then breastfeeding alongside food until the child is two years old. This is due to the benefits, including protection against infection and providing a good balance of nutrients.
Experts have previously warned women that they could be judged or made to feel guilty about the decisions they make when it comes to feeding their babies.
Others have long been concerned about the number of newborn babies being hospitalized with dehydration as parents try to continue breastfeeding even though the baby is not getting enough milk.
Responding to the WHO’s post, artist Alice Stevenson also wrote on X: ‘Shame on you, @WHO.
‘Myself and many mothers I know were severely traumatized by our inability to breastfeed due to this kind of dictatorial, sinister propaganda. Real “Handmaids Tale” stuff.’
Author Nicola Knight added: ‘And what about the women who can’t?
‘I was unwell after the birth of my daughter and I can honestly say that the pressure to breastfeed made the situation a million times worse.’
Journalist Rebecca Reid also said: ‘Given that bottle feeding needs to include a disclaimer that breast milk is the better option, I think breastfeeding promotional materials should include an equivalent disclaimer that it’s not always possible to breastfeed.’
The report comes just months after a damning report into the NHS maternity ‘postcode lottery’ also found that good care is ‘the exception rather than the rule’.
A long-awaited parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma, which heard testimonies from more than 1,300 women, revealing that pregnant women are treated like a ‘piece of meat’.
At the time, then Health Minister Victoria Atkins called the evidence in the report “shocking” and pledged to improve maternity care for “women during pregnancy, childbirth and the critical months afterwards”.
Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, also said the experiences described in the report were “simply not good enough”.