In India, more than 60% of the healthcare infrastructure is private. Half of all births in urban areas and a quarter of all births in rural areas take place in private facilities.

Despite proven benefits, less than half of infants and young children globally are breastfed in accordance with the recommendations of WHO.

This Series paper examines how mother and baby attributes at the individual level interact with breastfeeding determinants at other levels, how these interactions drive breastfeeding outcomes, and what policies and interventions are necessary to achieve optimal breastfeeding. 

Despite increasing evidence about the value and importance of breastfeeding, less than half of the world's infants and young children (aged 0–36 months) are breastfed as recommended. This Series paper examines the social, political, and economic reasons for this problem.

Despite WHO recommendations, many COVID-19 maternal and newborn care guidelines failed to recommend skin-to-skin contact, rooming-in, and breastfeeding as the standard of care.