New mothers should start breastfeeding within hour of birth: UNICEF

UNICEF is urging mothers to do more to start breastfeeding their newborns within an hour of birth, saying breast milk is a baby's "first vaccine." The UN children's agency says some 77 million newborns or about 1 in 2 don't get breastfed within the first hour after birth, depriving them of key nutrients, antibodies and skin-to-skin contact, reports AP.

UNICEF said on Friday that newborns account for nearly half of all deaths of children under 5 years old, and getting more newborns breastfed exclusively in the first six months of life could save over 800,000 lives each year.

World Health Organisation spokeswoman Fadela Chaib took aim at some claims that infant formula has the same benefits as breast milk, saying "it's a lie. It's not the same."