World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), held in the first week of August every year, is a global campaign supported by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF and many Ministries of Health and civil society partners on the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding. This initiative was started in 1992 to encourage mothers to breastfeed their children and build a support community for new mothers who face any difficulties in breastfeeding.

Why Did We Need An Awareness Week?

Gynaecologist, obstetrician and founder of Baby Soon Fertility and IVF Center, Dr Jyoti Bali with 26 years of experience says, “A reason why some mothers stopped breastfeeding was because of the increased marketing of formula as a convenient solution compared to breastfeeding.”

Experts agree that women undergo physical changes in their bodies during their pregnancy and while breastfeeding too, however, these have been exaggerated. “Breastfeeding can lead to temporary changes in breast size and shape, but these changes are typically normal and revert to baseline after weaning. Perceptions about breastfeeding causing long-term body changes are often unscientific or exaggerated,” says Dr Rao.

These were some of the reasons why women stopped breastfeeding and thus an initiative like World Breastfeeding Week was started. This also aims to highlight the health benefits to the mother and the child on breastfeeding.

Benefits of Breastfeeding on Mother

Rao says that for the mother, it helps in faster postpartum recovery, reduces the risk of certain cancers, and can help with postpartum weight loss.

“Breast Feeding helps the mothers to shed their pregnancy weight more quickly because the production of milk requires the burning of calories,” agrees Dr Bali.

Other health benefits to mothers are postpartum healing, bonding with the baby and a decrease in the risk of ovarian cancer, mentions Dr Bali.

Breastfeeding Benefits on Baby

There are also nutritional values that help a preterm baby in his or her development. “For example, breast milk's higher protein content makes it easier for premature babies to absorb and digest than formula, which encourages better weight gain. Premature babies often have specific nutritional needs due to their early birth. Breast milk provides a tailored balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that support their rapid growth and development. The composition of breast milk adjusts to meet the changing needs of a preterm infant, including higher levels of certain nutrients,” says Dr Goel.

Dr Bali also points out that breast milk contains antibodies, probiotics and DHA and ARA, a kind of fatty acids that are required for brain development. Thus, a baby can benefit a great deal from breastfeeding.

Health Risks When Not Breastfeeding

Poor breastfeeding practices in infancy and early childhood, resulting in malnutrition, contribute to impaired cognitive and social development, poor school performance and reduced productivity in later life.

Sarwa points out that psychological factors like stress, anxiety, postpartum depression, poor latch due to anatomical issues or improper positioning, and other medical conditions are the common reasons for this. “Identification and management of the specific cause, appropriate counselling by a healthcare provider, support (emotional and workplace both) and alternative feeding options,” he says.

Unable To Breastfeed Your Child? Here is What You Can Do

Do not be worried about its safety, Dr Rao says that donated milk is screened, pasteurised, and distributed to ensure safety and nutrition.

Are You a Working Mother?

“Purchasing a superior electric breast pump can increase the effectiveness of the procedure. Maintaining a consistent pumping schedule—ideally, every three to four hours—helps keep the milk supply steady. Pumped milk can be refrigerated for up to four days if stored in sterile containers or bags that have been labelled with the date and time. Milk can be frozen and thawed for extended storage,” suggests Dr Goel.

A 54-year-old woman in Greece recently gave birth to a healthy baby girl using an embryo that had been frozen for more than two decades. The case has marked a milestone in IVF, raising an intriguiging question: does a frozen embryo eventually have an expiry date?

Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi and her husband, Constantinos Raptis, welcomed their daughter Georgia in Athens on September 9.

The embryo was originally cryopreserved in March 2004 and was transferred in December 2025. The baby weighed 3.49 kg at birth.

The couple decided to use one of their remaining embryos after their 21-year-old son, Giorgos, died in a road accident in October 2025. Their son had also been born following IVF using an embryo from the same original treatment.

The case is remarkable as the embryo remained frozen for more than two decades. But scientifically, that does not mean the embryo continued ageing for 22 years.

Does A Frozen Embryo Actually Age?

A frozen embryo does not age in the way a an actual human person does. During cryopreservation, embryos are stored at extremely low temperatures, generally around -196°C in liquid nitrogen. At this temperature, biological processes that drive cellular ageing effectively stop.

The key is maintaining stable cryostorage conditions. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine says cryopreserved embryos must be maintained under stringent conditions, with IVF laboratories monitoring liquid-nitrogen levels and storage systems.

So, an embryo frozen in 2004 does not biologically become a 22-year-old embryo. Its chronological storage time increases, but its cells are preserved in the state they were in when frozen.

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Long Storage Of Embryo & Healthy Pregnancy

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in Human Reproduction Open examined 23 studies involving more than 250,000 embryo-transfer cycles.

Researchers found that embryos stored for longer than five years appeared slightly less likely to survive thawing, with some reductions in pregnancy and live-birth rates.

However, the outcomes stopped worsening after around two years of storage, with no further deterioration as storage continued for much longer periods.

Longer storage was also not associated with increased risks of premature birth, high birth weight, or birth defects.

Earlier research has similarly found no dose-response relationship between the duration of embryo cryostorage and pregnancy outcomes.

Also read: Explained: What Is Posthumous Reproduction?

Does An Embryo Have An Expiry Date?

Scientifically, there is no established biological expiry date for a properly cryopreserved embryo. The bigger concerns are the quality of the embryo before freezing, the freezing and thawing technique, laboratory conditions, and whether the embryo survives thawing.

There are also factors like biological limits and legal limits that affect IVF. In Greece, women currently have a legal age limit of 54 for completing IVF procedures.

Rapti-Tzelepi had only a limited window in which to obtain approval and undergo treatment. Her case is therefore not proof that every embryo can remain viable indefinitely. But it provides another striking example of how modern cryopreservation can preserve reproductive potential for decades.

Nearly 76,805 children and adolescents in India are estimated to develop cancer each year. At the same time, childhood cancer can be highly treatable when diagnosed early and managed appropriately, with survival exceeding 80% in settings where timely diagnosis and comprehensive treatment are available.

When people think about preventive healthcare for children, the conversation usually centers on vaccinations, good nutrition, physical activity, sleep and regular health check-ups. These are important for a child’s overall health. But prevention also involves something that is often overlooked: recognizing when a child’s health is changing and seeking medical advice at the right time.

Childhood cancer is different from many cancers seen in adults. In most cases, there is no clear lifestyle-related cause that parents could have avoided. A child developing cancer is therefore not usually linked to something the parents did or did not do. This is important because there is no particular diet, exercise routine or supplement that can guarantee protection against childhood cancer.

The Importance of Recognizing a Pattern

For doctors, one of the more practical ways to improve outcomes is to recognize when a seemingly common symptom is not following its usual course. Fever, tiredness, headaches, loss of appetite or body pain are frequent childhood complaints. But when they persist, keep returning or occur alongside other changes, they should not simply be treated repeatedly without evaluation.

• Unexplained weight loss

• Unusual bruising or bleeding

• Persistent bone or abdominal pain

• A growing lump or swelling

• Repeated headaches

• Changes in vision

These are some signs that may require further assessment. These symptoms are not specific to cancer, but their persistence warrants attention.

Why Early Diagnosis Matters

Most childhood cancers do not have a routine screening test for healthy children. Diagnosis therefore often depends on noticing an unusual pattern and investigating it appropriately.

A delay does not necessarily mean that cancer has been missed, but prolonged delays can allow some cancers to progress before treatment begins. For this reason, awareness among parents and healthcare providers, timely evaluation and appropriate referral are important parts of childhood cancer care.

Prevention Is Not Just About Avoiding Cancer

Vaccination still has a place in the broader cancer-prevention conversation. Hepatitis B vaccination helps reduce the risk of liver cancer linked to chronic hepatitis B infection, while HPV vaccination can help prevent HPV-related cancers later in life. However, these vaccines do not prevent most cancers that occur during childhood.

Similarly, nutrition should be viewed in the right context. A balanced diet supports growth and recovery, including during cancer treatment, but there is no specific food or diet that can prevent a cancer.

The Cost of Childhood Cancer

Childhood cancer can place a significant financial and practical burden on families. Treatment costs may be accompanied by expenses related to travel, accommodation, food and time away from work.

At the same time, families today have more avenues of support than before. Government health schemes, public healthcare facilities and non-government organizations can help with treatment costs and other practical needs. The challenge is ensuring that families are aware of these resources and can access them early enough.

Looking Beyond Treatment

Children who survive cancer may need long-term monitoring for possible effects of treatment on growth, development and other aspects of health.

For childhood cancer, therefore, prevention is less about finding a way to eliminate risk and more about reducing what can be changed: delayed diagnosis, interruptions in treatment and avoidable long-term complications..

(Dr Amita Mahajan, Senior Consultant, Pediatric Oncology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi)

A baby's first protection against serious infections begins even before birth. Timely maternal vaccination during pregnancy helps pass protective antibodies from mother to baby, offering valuable immunity during the first few months of life.

Many parents believe that a baby's vaccination journey starts only after birth. However, doctors say a baby's first protection actually begins during pregnancy. During the third trimester, a mother's body naturally passes protective antibodies to her baby through the placenta.

These antibodies help protect newborns from certain infections during the first few months of life, when their immune system is still developing and before their own vaccines provide full protection. Maternal immunisation not only protects the mother from serious illnesses during pregnancy but also gives the baby a healthy start. Yet, many expectant mothers are aware only of the tetanus-containing vaccine (Td) and may not know about other important vaccines or health checks that can benefit both mother and child.

How does a baby get protection before birth?

During pregnancy, especially in the last three months, antibodies produced by the mother's immune system cross the placenta and enter the baby's bloodstream. These antibodies act as the baby's first line of defence after birth.

Since newborn babies have immature immune systems, this natural transfer of immunity helps lower the risk of severe infections during the early weeks and months of life. This protection is temporary, which is why babies still need to receive all their routine childhood vaccinations on time after birth.

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Which vaccines are important during pregnancy?

Doctors commonly recommend the Td (Tetanus and Diphtheria) vaccine during pregnancy to protect both the mother and baby from tetanus. Depending on the mother's medical condition, vaccination history, and local recommendations, doctors may also advise the Tdap vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough (pertussis).

In some situations, the influenza (flu) vaccine may also be recommended, particularly during flu season or for women at higher risk of complications. Another important step is rubella screening before pregnancy. Rubella infection during early pregnancy can lead to serious birth defects. Women planning pregnancy should ensure they are protected against rubella before conceiving, as the vaccine is not given during pregnancy.

Also read: Are Children Breathing Clean Air Inside Classrooms? New European Study Raises Concern

Why maternal vaccination matters?

Vaccination during pregnancy helps reduce the mother's risk of certain infections, lowering the chances of illness-related complications during pregnancy. At the same time, it allows protective antibodies to reach the baby before birth, providing valuable immunity until the infant begins receiving routine childhood vaccines.

Discuss vaccination early during antenatal visits so that recommended vaccines can be given at the appropriate time. Every pregnancy is unique, and vaccination decisions should always be made in consultation with the doctor.

Tips for expectant mothers

• Discuss recommended vaccines during your very first antenatal visit.

• Receive the Td vaccine as advised by your doctor.

• Ask your doctor whether the Tdap vaccine is recommended in your pregnancy.

• If advised, get the influenza vaccine during pregnancy.

• If planning a pregnancy, get screened for rubella immunity and complete vaccination before conception if needed.

• Attend all regular prenatal check-ups.

• Follow a healthy diet, stay physically active as advised, and get adequate rest.

• Continue your baby's routine vaccination schedule after birth without delay.

By discussing immunisation early in pregnancy and following medical advice, parents can give their newborn an important layer of protection even before the first cry.