The authorities set the goal of raising the rate of exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life up to 70% by 2020. The World Breastfeeding Week is launched in Moldova today, August 1, to encourage breastfeeding  for improving the state of health of the children all over the world, IPN reports.

This year’s slogan “Breastfeed and work: Now it is possible!” urges mobilizing efforts to help women combine breastfeeding and work and creating favorable conditions for breastfeeding in the family environment, in the community and at work.

According to specialists of the Ministry of Health, breastfeeding is the best method of offering newborns the food they need to grow and develop. The World Health Organization and UNICEF support six months of just breastfeeding.  This means that no other foods or drinks other than vitamin D are typically given. Continued partial breastfeeding until at least a year of age is then recommended.

Breastfeeding decreases the risk of respiratory tract infections and diarrhea. This is true both in developing and developed countries. Other benefits include a lower risk of asthma, food allergies, celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, and leukemia. Breastfeeding may also improve cognitive development and decrease the risk of obesity in adulthood. Benefits of breastfeeding for the mother may include a decreased risk of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Moldova’s legislation on labor relations with pregnant women and mothers with children contains provisions about partial working hours, breaks for feeding the child, bans on night shifts and additional working hours and about employment guarantees for pregnant women and mothers with children younger than six. It also bans the firing of these women and of persons who go on leave to look after the child, except for separate cases.