The first months in the life of a human being are the period during which people grow and develop faster.
Precisely this is the time when children are more vulnerable and it is essential to provide them with adequate and suitable food.
Breastfeeding is the natural form of nutrition for the newborn baby; it offers innumerable immunological and psychological advantages. Therefore it is the optimal food for a better maturation of infants during the first 4-6 months of life.
So from 1 to 7 August each year is celebrated in more than 170 countries, including ours, the World Week of Breastfeeding, designed to encourage this practice, which improves the health of babies around the world .
In 1979, before declining breastfeeding rates worldwide, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) held a meeting on infant and young child.
The result was the recommendation of an International Code to control the marketing practices of infant formulas or recipes and other products used as breastmilk substitutes.
But is this the only milk that children need in the first six months; other food or drinks, even actions like delay or restrict the making of this natural product, or replaced with other products before this time may increase the risk of diarrhea and other infections, allergies, etc.
In Santiago de Cuba, as in the rest of the country, actions to protect, promote and support breastfeeding, consistently delivering information to the public through the media, and conducting various investigations are made to keep updated knowledge and major trends on this topic.
Therefore, among the goals they have set health authorities, the World Breastfeeding Week 2015 include: join efforts in all sectors to enable women to work and breastfeed anywhere; and develop actions by employers to actively support working mothers to continue breastfeeding.
In addition to reporting the latest advances in the care and protection of maternity rights worldwide and create awareness of the need to strengthen national legislation and enforcement; likewise, share, facilitate and strengthen practices that help breastfeeding women working in the informal sectors.
And finally compromise and work with specific groups and unions to protect the rights of breastfeeding women in the workplace. All this to emphasize that the family and social environment of the mother is a determining factor in the decision to breastfeed their children exclusively breastfed.