World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is celebrated every year during the first week of August. This global campaign, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and Ministries of Health around the world, aims to raise awareness of the role of breastfeeding in setting the foundation for lifelong health, development, and equity. 

Organizations like Medical Teams International are focused not only on providing life-saving care for acute conditions, but also proactively working to reduce preventable deaths. Breastfeeding plays a huge role in that. A 2003 study published in the Lancet went so far as to say that exclusive breastfeeding has the single largest potential impact on child mortality of any preventive intervention. Especially in humanitarian settings where we work.  

Why, then, are fewer than half of infants under 6 months exclusively breastfed worldwide? 

This week, we want to share why breastfeeding is so critical to the health of the mothers and babies that we serve, what challenges can impact breastfeeding, and celebrate the ways that Medical Teams is supporting mothers through one of their first brave and tender acts of motherhood—feeding their babies.

What are the benefits of breastfeeding? 

The act of breastfeeding stimulates the release of oxytocin in mothers’ brains, which is foundational for mother/infant bonding. The close position that breastfeeding requires facilitates skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby with helps to regulate the body temperature of a fragile newborn, as well as inoculating the baby’s immune system. 

From a physical health perspective, breastmilk is critical to protecting an infant’s health in early life. It is safe, sanitary, and contains antibodies that are developed in real time based on the mother’s environmental exposure. That means that if a virus is going around and the mother is exposed, she will develop antibodies for that particular strain of virus and pass those along to baby through her breastmilk. This kind of on-demand immunity is invaluable in humanitarian settings where overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and transmissible illnesses are common.  

Breastmilk also provides complete nutrition for infants, containing all of the protein, carbohydrates, sugars, vitamins, water, and other nutrients that babies need to thrive in the first 6 months of life and beyond.  

From a mental health perspective, breastfeeding is highly protective of mother’s mental health. Studies show that breastfeeding can contribute to a significant decrease in a mother’s risk of developing postpartum depression and other perinatal mood disorders due to the reduction of cortisol (stress hormone) and the increase of oxytocin (feel-good hormone) that is stimulated by breastfeeding. 

This is particularly important in humanitarian crisis situations where mothers have often experienced trauma, stress, and lack of support, and already face an increased risk of developing things like postpartum anxiety, depression, and psychosis.  

All of these factors combine to make breastfeeding one of the most powerful factors in establishing and protecting maternal and child health, especially in the challenging contexts where we work. 

The threat of malnutrition for mothers and babies  

Malnutrition is one of the most prevalent health problems tied to humanitarian crises, with nearly half of deaths among children under 5 years of age being linked to undernutrition, according to the World Health Organization. 

Breastfeeding plays a critical role in combating malnutrition. WHO reports that optimal breastfeeding could save the lives of over 820,000 children under the age of 5 years each year.

But it’s not only children born into crisis who benefit from breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce a mother’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. But things like malnutrition, increasingly common among refugee mothers, can swiftly derail breastfeeding.  

Malnutrition rates among adults are skyrocketing — in Uganda, roughly 1 in 5 refugees arrive malnourished. But to save lives and conserve dwindling resources, our doctors are forced to only treat the most severely malnourished. 

This puts mothers like Eriza, and her baby, at huge risk.  

Eriza was at a high risk of breastfeeding failure due to circumstances beyond her control. She came to a Medical Teams clinic unable to breastfeed her 3-day-old baby due to psychosis, seizures, and poor nutrition. 

Since Eriza was unable to breastfeed due to her frequent seizures, a relative was giving the infant sugar water, which is extremely dangerous. Sugar water is nutrient-poor and is extremely difficult for infants to metabolize. Ingesting it can cause dangerous blood-sugar levels and potentially, brain damage.  

The healthcare team stabilized Eriza and treated her seizures and mental health condition with appropriate medication. They realized that it was essential for her to initiate breastfeeding for both her and the baby’s wellbeing, so they developed a comprehensive plan to help her.  

The counseling and nursing staff educated Eriza on the importance of breastfeeding, proper positioning, and attachment, using visual tools like the counseling card pictured here: 

 Since she was also undernourished, they ensured that she had adequate nutrition to produce milk. The nutritionist provided her with millet and milk porridge, and she was closely monitored by the staff. Her baby was supplemented with formula to prevent any further physical decline, and when Eriza was ready, they reintroduced breastfeeding with great success.  

“This experience underscored the importance of multifaceted support in successful breastfeeding,” a member of the care team shared. “It demonstrates that even mothers with severe mental health challenges can breastfeed effectively when given the proper care and resources.” 

Without the comprehensive medical and psychological support they received, Eriza and her infant could have lost their lives. 

Mothers like Eriza, who give birth in less-than-ideal circumstances, under extreme stress, lacking prenatal care, or malnourished themselves, need all of the protective health benefits they can possibly get to support their postpartum bodies.  

In situations like these, breastfeeding is so much more than just a personal feeding choice—it’s a matter of survival. 

What contributes to low rates of exclusive breastfeeding globally? 

There are many challenges that impact a mother’s ability to exclusively breastfeed, even when its benefits are so clear.  

In the WHO’s 2025 Global Nutrition Targets report, they identified the following social, cultural, systemic, and commercial factors that contribute to inadequate rates of exclusive breastfeeding:  

• Cultural and societal beliefs that breastmilk alone is not adequate; 

• Hospital and healthcare practices and policies that are not supportive of breastfeeding; 

• Lack of prenatal education about infant feeding and lactation; 

• Lack of skilled breastfeeding support in both hospital and community settings; 

• Aggressive and unethical promotion of infant formula; 

• Lack of knowledge about health benefits of breastfeeding (and health risks of not breastfeeding) among women, partners, families, healthcare providers, and policy makers.  

Mothers who fall victim to this lack of prenatal education and skilled breastfeeding support are at high risk of having infants who become malnourished and develop health problems.  

This mother (pictured) sought help from Medical Teams after her baby became sick. In addition to not being able to breastfeed effectively due to a lack of correct positioning, she was also giving the baby water, which is not advised before 6 months of age.

A community health volunteer advised her to join the local Mother Support Group at the Medical Teams clinic in her camp, and there she received both counseling from the nutritionist as well as support from other breastfeeding mothers in her community.  

After applying her new knowledge and receiving both clinical and social support, she was able to breastfeed successfully, and her baby recovered. Creating these kinds of accessible, safe spaces to educate and encourage breastfeeding mothers is a great example of leveraging social support to improve community health. 

However, the future of these Mother-to-Mother support groups is in jeopardy due to the sweeping funding cuts to global humanitarian aid programs. Although peer support and communal information sharing is proven to be one of the most important ways to teach good breastfeeding practices within refugee communities, funding for programs like these have been cut because they have not been deemed “lifesaving”. 

Tell that to this mother, whose baby would likely not have survived without the support she received.

How you can support this critical work 

As more mothers give birth in refugee camps, more babies are born into extreme vulnerability. Your gift during this month’s Rise to the Moment campaign can support things like medical care, breastfeeding education, and community support groups which saved the lives of the mothers and babies in these stories. 

Just $25 can provide life-saving care to one person who desperately needs your help. This month, all gifts will be matched by a generous donor, doubling the life-saving power of your generosity. 

In honor of World Breastfeeding Month and the tireless care that our doctors, nurses, and staff provide, please give what you can. Help save lives. We simply can’t do it without you.

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Amanda Wilkinson | Copywriter & Brand Specialist

Amanda joined Medical Teams at the very end of 2024 and loves being part of the creative engine of the Marketing and Development Team. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Hollins University and a BA and English and Theatre Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University. She is the recipient of the Gertrude Claytor Prize in Poetry from the Academy of American Poets, and her poetry collection Little Human Relics was published in 2016. In addition to her writing work, Amanda is passionate about maternal health and is a certified Perinatal Mental Health Peer Support Specialist as well as a Certified Lactation Specialist. She is a fierce advocate for maternal mental health, infertility, and birth trauma, and enjoys working with mamas to provide support and resources as they walk along their journey of motherhood.