MANILA, Philippines – When mothers are expected to be successful not only in their careers but also in child-rearing, women often find themselves giving up breastfeeding to save time and be free of discomfort. For the go-getter mom, attending to office backlogs after a maternity leave is top priority.

Yet research shows that skipping on breastfeeding is akin to skipping on its wonderful benefits. The World Health Organization (www.who.int) emphasizes that breastfeeding, and not formula feeding, has to be the standard way of nourishing babies.

“Breastfeeding has always been the physiological norm. However, over the past hundred years or so, artificial feeding had become so ubiquitous in many developed world settings, as to be widely viewed as the standard way to feed infants,” according to a 2008 WHO report.

The WHO found that breastfed infants from various ethnic backgrounds in numerous locations in the world are more likely to grow and develop healthier than their non-breastfed counterparts. The richest yet cheapest source of nutrients for infants, breastfeeding lessens your child’s risks of being counted among 186 million malnourished children in the world, according to a 2010 World Health Statistics estimate.

UNICEF and their breastfeeding advocates are encouraging mothers and families to replace formula with the much better-suited breast milk.

Top supporter Iza Abeja believes every mother, including career women and professionals, must choose to practice breastfeeding as benefits significantly outweigh inconveniences. “Breastfeeding is the most natural and richest source of nourishment for children yet it’s becoming just an option and not the norm. It is normal to breastfeed our kids, it’s always been. And yet we are made to think that alternative sources of milk are better than it. Breastfeeding scientifically produces more intelligent and more balanced individuals.”

Abeja, who practiced breastfeeding for her son and daughter until they were 6 years old, was named UN Millenium Development Goals Ambassador on Child Food Security and Nutrition in 2012. She is executive director of Beauty, Brains & Breastfeeding, Inc., a nonprofit and lactation consulting organization, which was the main proponent of the DILG memorandum circular urging all local government units to strengthen their breastfeeding campaign.

BBB will hold its 2nd Annual Breastfeeding Run called “Nurture Run” on May 18, Sunday, 5:30 a.m. at the CCP Complex in Manila with the theme “Awareness for Breastfeeding during Emergency and in the Workplace.”

Non-breastfed infants are “extremely vulnerable especially during emergencies” as they are 50 times more likely to be hospitalized from diarrhea and suffer from malnourishment, which leads to death.

A local study by UNICEF and WHO estimated that an average of P4,000 is spent on an infant per month. It usually covers for formula milk, plus feeding paraphernalia like bottles, teats, and safe water. Compared to breastfeeding which is free and develops healthier babies, the use of artificial milk puts financial pressure on families for higher risks of spending more on hospital bills, physician visits, and medicines.

Healthier breastfed infants also save parents of absences at work, which contribute to higher productivity for working mothers and the companies they work for. On top of all that, breast milk is also most environmentally-friendly feeding choice that requires no packaging, shipping or disposal.

“As we urge mothers to practice breastfeeding, we also invite fathers, relatives and friends of these mothers to provide encouragement to them,” says Abeja. “Breastfeeding is not easy, but with the right environment and with supportive and loving people around them, mothers will find the most fulfilling and rewarding experience.”

To register for the Nurture Run on May 18, Sunday, 5:30 a.m. at the CCP Complex in Manila, visit www.nurturerun.com.