It's so frustrating and sad another mum has gone through this: Myleene Klass moved to tears on visit to Filipino slum where babies are dying because they're not being breastfed
- Presenter visited slums in Manila and was shocked by living conditions
- Thousands of babies are dying from fatal diseases they would have been better protected from had they been breastfed
- Mothers in countries like Philippines haven't been educated on health benefits of breast milk so instead rely on formula they can barely afford
- Save the Children launch campaign today calling for greater awareness, more health workers and warnings on dangers of not breastfeeding on formula packaging
- As well as Myleene, celebs including Isla Fisher and Victoria Beckham back campaign that says 830,000 babies could be saved every year if they were breastfed from birth
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Myleene Klass, Victoria Beckham and Isla Fisher are among a number of celeb supporting a new campaign to encourage more women around the world to breast feed to save their baby's life.
According to Save the Children, 830,000 babies could be saved every year - that's 95 every hour - if mothers across the globe breastfed within the first hour of giving birth.
Breast milk provides a newborn with vital antibodies which make them stronger and less likely to catch fatal diseases. Yet in numerous third world countries women are using formula milk instead - even though they can barely afford it.
Sad story: Myleene with young mother Vilma who lost a baby to pneumonia because she didn't realise she could breastfeed
Myleene visited the slums of Manila in the Philippines to meet some of the young mothers struggling to raise their children in appalling conditions.
She was moved to tears when she met one woman, Vilma, 20, whose bottle-fed baby had recently died of pneumonia when he was just seven months old.
In a video you can view below, Vilma tells Myleene she didn't realise she could breastfeed and instead went hungry herself to buy expensive milk formula.
Myleene said: 'I was really shocked that Vilma didn't have access to the basic information that may have saved her son's life.
'The information is out there but it doesn't seem to be hitting this part of the world. It's very frustrating and very sad that another mum has gone through this.'
Appalling conditions: The presenter was shocked by the standard of living in this part of the Philippines
Hope: Children like this one are more likely to survive if they are breastfed from birth
Save the Children have found that that many mothers like Vilma are relying on expensive formula milk, when they could provide a much better source of nourishment for their babies themselves, because they simply aren't aware of the health benefits of breastfeeding.
The charity's chief executive Justin Forsyth said: 'Despite the benefits of breastfeeding being widely known in the developed world, and it being a free, natural way to protect a newborn baby, too little attention is being paid to help mums breastfeed in poorer countries.'
Myleene breastfed her own daughters, Ava, five and Hero, 23 months. She said in today's Daily Record: 'Every mum wants the best for their children. I grew up in the UK so I knew what my children needed as babies and I could make an informed choice about whether to breast or bottlefeed.
'In the Philippines, people don’t have that knowledge. They often don’t even have the facilities to boil water for mixing with formula milk.'
Myleene meets a newborn on her trip: The mother-of-two wants women in other countries to have the same access to information on breastfeeding that she had
The problem isn't just in the Philippines, the number of women breastfeeding is declining across East Asia and in some African countries such as Ethiopia and Nigeria.
Save the Children blame the problem on 'the prevalence of traditional practices as well as a severe shortage of health workers and examples of inappropriate marketing techniques by some baby milk substitute companies.'
Myleene added: 'It comes down to a combination of factors, including a lack of health workers to give good advice, lack of education and marketing practices of some firms who, according to some mums I spoke to, convince them that formula is better.'
The charity are seeking to make women more aware that breast is best by highlighting the importance of breastfeeding in the first hour of a baby's life.
The charity state: 'If babies receive colostrum – the mother’s first milk – within an hour of birth, it will kick start the child’s immune system, making them three times more likely to survive. And, if the mother continues feeding for the next six months, then a child growing up in the developing world is up to 15 times less likely to die from killer diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea.'
Change for the better: Myleene meets single mother Josephine, 18, and her child Jihan, aged 4 months, in Manila. The young mother used to use formula but is now being taught that breast is best
The charity sent actress Isla Fisher to the slums of Sao Paulo, Brazil, to see how action there has already been saving lives.
THE SHOCKING STATISTICS
- The deaths of 830,000 children could be avoided if every newborn were breastfed within the first hour of life
- 22% of newborn deaths could be prevented if breastfeeding started within the first hour after birth, and 16% if breastfeeding started within the first 24 hours.
- Worldwide, 92 million children under six months of age are either artificially fed or fed a mixture of breast milk and other foods
- The baby milk formula business is worth £16 billion
'Over past 20 years the government have slashed the infant mortality rate by over 50 per cent and one of the ways they've done that is using a unique superfood - breast milk,' she said.
Victoria Beckham was among celebs who joined Myleene and Isla by Tweeting her support of the campaign today writing: 'As a mother I know how crucial the first hour of a baby life's is. This is why I'm supporting @savethechildren #firsthour.'
Mr Forsyth explained: 'If every baby was fed during the first hour of life – what we call the 'power hour' – we estimate that up to 830,000 newborn deaths could be prevented every year; that’s 95 babies every hour. And if mums were helped to breastfeed for up to six months, many more children would be protected from killer diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea. It is a matter of life and death.'
In a report published today, called Superfood for Babies, Save the Children call on the Government to use their G8 presidency in June to fund breastfeeding nutrition work.
They also want baby formula companies such as Nestlé and Danone to give over a third of their product packaging to warnings of the potential health risks of not breastfeeding.
They have found that some formula companies in Asia have violated the internationally agreed code for the marketing of breast milk substitutes by implying it's better than the real thing.
For more information on how you can support the campaign, sign a petition calling on breast milk substitute companies to put a stop to any conduct that undermines breastfeeding and donate to the charity, visit www.savethechildren.org.uk
VIDEO: Watch Myleene's visit to the Philippines below
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2280503/Myleene-Klass-moved-tears-visit-Filipino-slum-babies-dying-theyre-breastfed.html#ixzz2LHaSvloC
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