The Guardian: 60% of babies ‘at risk due to breastfeeding delay after birth’
“Almost 60 percent of babies around the world are not breastfed within the first hour after their birth, putting them at risk of sickness and even death, a new report has revealed. Current guidelines from the World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend babies should be breastfed within an hour of their birth and fed only by breastfeeding until they are six months old…” (Davis, 7/30).

Healio: WHO, UNICEF: 78 million newborns not breastfed within first hour after birth
“A report issued by WHO and UNICEF before the start of World Breastfeeding Week on August 1 revealed that approximately three in five newborns around the world waited more than one hour before being breastfed in 2017. Authors noted that although improvements have been made in the number of infants breasted in low- and middle-income countries — 37 percent in 2005 vs. 42 percent in 2017 — there is significant room for improvement…” (Bortz, 7/30).

U.N. News: When it comes to breastfeeding, ‘timing is everything’ in saving newborn lives — UNICEF chief
“… ‘When it comes to the start of breastfeeding, timing is everything,’ said Henrietta Fore, the U.N. Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) executive director, on the eve of World Breastfeeding Week. ‘In many countries, it can even be a matter of life or death,’ she added. In the report, Capture the Moment, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) note that while newborns who breastfeed in the first hour of life are significantly more likely to survive, they estimate that 78 million newborns are excluded…” (7/30).

VOA News: WHO: Breastfed Newborns Get Best Start in Life
“…The report warns that formula or other drinks must not be given to newborns unless absolutely necessary. It says formula can be dangerous because it sometimes is mixed with contaminated water and delays the infant’s first critical contact with his or her mother” (Schlein, 7/30).