Here’s how breastfeeding differs around the world

Breastfeeding is a natural way to feed your baby, but that doesn’t mean it comes without its own set of challenges or pressures for mums.

Many mums will have an idea of how they want their breastfeeding journey to go (or not). But when you take a look at how breastfeeding differs around the world, it’s clear there’s no right or wrong way to do it – only what is best for you and your baby. 

Here’s some interesting facts about breastfeeding and how it differs around the world. 

Peru

In Peru, breastfeeding rates have been rising since the 1990s. According to the WHO, “Just over half of all babies born in Peru (55%) begin breastfeeding within an hour of birth.”

The rising number of breastfeed babies has been helped by Peru’s government offering more support and education to women. Women are also paid nursing breaks until their child is one year old.

Excitingly, every year during World Breastfeeding Week, the Ministry of Health holds a contest to see which baby can suckle the longest in one sitting. You can see footage of the contest here.  

Norway

Norway has some of the most generous maternity leave entitlements in the world. According to a Save The Children report, mothers can take up to 36 weeks off work with 100% pay. Or they can choose to take 46 weeks off with 80% of their pay.

The report adds that countries with generous maternity leave tend to have higher breastfeeding rates. A Cambridge study says, “Almost all mothers in Norway initiate breastfeeding (98%). Some 80% still breastfeed at six months, but only 9% do so exclusively.”

France

A 2018, UNICEF report shows 63% of French mothers breastfeed.

Why the low breastfeeding rates?

According to this article, French mums don’t want to. Bethany Ramos writes, “Breastfeeding has been compared by some groups in French society to exploitation and slavery. As the argument goes, breastfeeding robs a woman of her freedom.”

That said, the French Government has ramped up their breastfeeding campaign and rates have increased. 

Australia

In Australia, 96 percent of mothers initiate breastfeeding. But a Save The Children report says 39% of mums are exclusively breastfeeding at three months.

Women in Australia do not have the explicit right to nursing breaks, paid or unpaid.

Philippines

Despite a “milk code” in the Philippines encouraging mums to breastfeed babies up to two years, a ban on advertising infant formula and “lactation stations” installed in public establishments, the breastfeeding rates are low.

A WHO report says, “During the first month of life, only half of all infants in the Philippines are exclusively breastfed.

Mongolia

In Mongolia public breastfeeding is celebrated. As one mum writes of her experience for The Natural Child Project, “Not only do Mongolians breastfeed for a long time, they do so with more enthusiasm and less inhibition than nearly anyone else I’ve met.”

“When I breastfed in the park, grandmothers would regale me with tales of the dozen children they had fed.

“When I breastfed in the back of taxis, drivers would give me the thumbs-up in the rear-view mirror and assure me that Calum would grow up to be a great wrestler.

“When I walked through the market cradling my feeding son in my arms, vendors would make a space for me at their stalls and tell him to drink up.”

But that’s not all – if a woman’s baby is not around and her breasts are engorged, she will ask another family member if they would like some milk. “Often a woman will express a bowlful for her husband as a treat, or leave some in the fridge for anyone to help themselves,” the mum adds.

In 2005, UNICEF found 82% of children in Mongolia continued to breastfeed at 12 to 15 months. While 65%were still doing so at 20 to 23 months. 

Bangladesh

Similar to Mongolia, extended breastfeeding is the norm. A 2010 study says the average duration of breastfeeding in Bangladesh is 31.9 months. 

“Breastfeeding is virtually universal (98.3%) and prolonged in Bangladesh. Past studies in Bangladesh found the mean duration of breastfeeding to be 26.4–28.9 months. It seems that the duration of breastfeeding in Bangladesh is gradually increasing.”

Japan

If you’re in Japan and planning to breastfeed, free nursing rooms are readily available in public spaces. Interestingly, some Japanese women begin their breastfeeding journey with a breast massage ritual. Developed by a midwife named Sotomi Oketani, the massage is performed as a way to promote milk production.

When it comes time to end the breastfeeding journey, Oketani suggests making the breast as unappealing as possible to baby. This is done by painting faces and shapes on their breasts to scare their kids. 

Brazil

Brazil aggressively promotes breastfeeding with  more than half of Brazilian mothers exclusively breastfeed their children until they’re six months old. For mums who can’t breastfeed, Brazil has 214 milk banks around the country, where donors pump and store milk and store extra milk.

India

It was previously thought that in parts of India, mothers discarded colostrum.

However, one study says that breastfeeding practices have changed in India. During their research, “no mother in the hospital discarded colostrum.

“They do discard few drops of breastmilk before initiating feed, which does not amount to `discarding colostrum,'” the researchers write.

“Even those mothers who started breastfeeds after few hours or one to two days did not discard colostrum but gave breastmilk without discarding any portion when they started breastfeeds.”