As the “first major vaccine we’ve received” is the first drop breast milkas described by the coordinator UNICEF in Cuba, doctor Dagoberto Rivera, commented on the great importance of this first feeding that the newborn should receive.
When presenting on the island the World Breastfeeding Week 2022, Already running from August 1-7, Rivera argued that “it’s an act of love, it’s the fundamental bond between mother and child, it saves lives,” stressing that such breastfeeding is a mother’s right Children and parental responsibility.
Under the motto “Let’s encourage, support and educate breastfeeding”, this world week runs in more than 170 countries to encourage this natural diet and thus pay tribute to the health of babies.
According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted in Cuba in 2019, before Covid-19, 92.5% of babies had breastfed on the first day of birth, but in the first hour after birth, 64.1% had done so .
Up to six months of age, 40.9% of the children were exclusively breastfed, but only 35.3% continued to be exclusively breastfed after the age of one and 19.2% up to the age of two.
Based on these statistics, Dr. Odalys Rodríguez Martínez, official of the Unicef-Cuba program “Every Child Survives and Thrives”, to resume the practice and promotion of this healthy diet, which is also beneficial for mothers, while in the case of children, helps among its many benefits to prevent chronic noncommunicable diseases and other morbidities in early life.
“Breastfeeding is the best start in life,” says the specialist.
But for this beginning and later to be successful, the support of the family, the mother’s workplace and the health facilities are needed.
Family support is important.
The latter, particularly child care counseling, are the go-to places to teach the new mom the hows and whys of breastfeeding, to dispel myths and establish truths.
While the statistics can and should be better, Dr. Lissette López González, head of the national pediatric group of the MINSAP, that in the most difficult moments of transmission of COVID-19 on the island for pregnant women or newborns, the use of breastfeeding as the primary antigen has always been addressed here.
Given the current situation of dengue and other diseases, he recommended continuing breastfeeding in cases where it is necessary.
And even if, for some reason, babies cannot be breastfed by their mothers, there is another alternative in Cuba – and indeed around the world – to not deprive them of this beneficial natural nourishment: breast milk banks.
A breast milk bank in Cuba.
These facilities specialize in collecting this vital substance from voluntary donors, in the selection, classification, processing, quality control, storage and distribution of this milk as prescribed by a doctor.
It happens that the mother sometimes finds it difficult to breastfeed her child if the child is born prematurely or with a low birth weight, or if the newborn remains in an intensive care unit. For these and other cases, in the country, with the support of Unicef , there are 14 breast milk banks distributed throughout the national territory, with the exception of Artemisa, Mayabeque and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud.
Breast milk donors, another beautiful expression of solidarity.
“If there were a new vaccine that would prevent the deaths of 1 million or more children a year, and that was also cheap, safe, administered orally and did not require a cold chain, it would be a public health imperative. Breastfeeding can do this and more,” says PAHO.
Source: PAHO
breastfeeding in the world
On August 1, Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, issued a joint statement on this World Week.
In the widely shared text, they stressed that “as global crises continue to threaten the health and nutrition of millions of babies, boys and girls, the vital importance of breastfeeding as the best possible start in life is more critical than ever.”
UNICEF and WHO called on governments to allocate more resources to protect, promote and support breastfeeding policies and programs, especially for the most vulnerable families living in emergency situations, as this practice is a source of safe, nutritious and affordable food for infants and children depicts toddlers in difficult situations.
These particular cases are highlighted because the emotional stress, physical exhaustion, lack of space and privacy, and poor sanitation available to mothers in emergencies mean that many babies are unable to reap the benefits of breastfeeding to survive, the statement said.
Globally, both international organizations report that fewer than half of newborns receive breast milk in the first hour of life, making them more vulnerable to disease and death. Only 44% of babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months, a figure that is below the World Health Assembly target of at least 50% by 2025.
“Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding is more important than ever, not only because the first natural and sustainable feeding system for babies protects our planet, but also because we support the survival, growth and development of millions of infants” , stress UNICEF and WHO .