Breastfeeding Encouraged

Breastfeeding is positively encouraged in the DPRK. 

Breast milk is an important source of nutrition that can reduce morbidity and mortality of children and is essential for their growth and development. As it contains sufficient physiological activators and immune substances that promote brain development and protect digestive organs of infants, the nourishment children receive from breastfeeding is retained throughout their lifetime.

The Pyongyang Maternity Hospital and provincial maternity hospitals are raising awareness of nutrition during the first 1 000 days of a human life focusing on breastfeeding among expectant and nursing mothers so that they would give the first breastfeeding without fail within one hour after delivery. Besides, they are asked to certainly feed their babies on the foremilk which is secreted during two or three days after delivery as it is like the first preventive injection containing immune substances that protect children from several infections.

Therefore, the breastfeeding activity is significant in making mothers feed their babies on only breast milk for six months while taking care of their own health.

As the World Health Organization set a week of August as World Breastfeeding Week, the DPRK held various breastfeeding activities during the week this year. Paek Hyang Ok, head of the children’s healthcare department of the Okryu Children’s Hospital, said, “During the breastfeeding week this year, public health workers, hygienic information workers and officials of relevant sectors who are engaged in medical service for mothers and children went to nurseries in the capital city and provinces and explained to nursing mothers the importance and specific methods of breastfeeding in easy terms. Various forms of awareness-raising activities conducted in the week gave nursing mothers a scientific and practical understanding of breastfeeding once again.”