WHO, UNICEF and the International Network of Child Pro Food Groups have analyzed the regulations of 194 countries, they have verified that only 135 of the measures of the “International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes” have been adopted and only 39 are the states that include all the provisions of this code in their legal regulations.
One of his conclusions has been that, define how inadequate to the laws implemented to protect breastfeeding.
International regulations ask countries to protect breastfeeding from formula or artificial milks, ending their improper marketing as well as bottles and teats.
The regulations also prohibits any form of breast milk substitute promotion including advertising, delivery of gifts to health workers and distribution of free samples.
But the countries that have laws on the commercialization of formula milks worldwide are the most scarce. In fact, The member states of the WHO (World Health Organization) have pledged to increase at least 50% the exclusive breastfeeding rate during the first six months of the baby's life by 2025.
WHO and UNICEF recommend exclusive breastfeeding during those first six months of the baby's life and then keep it together with the introduction of safe and nutritionally adequate food for the baby, until two years of age.
In Spain
The figures of mothers who give Breastfeeding your children up to two years, following that recommendation from WHO and UNICEF reaches a low 8%, It is a very low percentage according to all experts but to understand this low percentage you have to introduce a new factor in this equation: the labor pressure on mothers that causes 62% of them to stop breastfeeding exclusively even before the baby's six months of life.
The children's products firm Suavinex has developed and published these days its I Study on Conciliation and Lactation conducting a survey of more than 1500 Spanish mothers between 20 and 50 years.
A scarce 8% of the mothers surveyed said they maintained breastfeeding following the recommendations of WHO and UNICEF until the first two years of their babies' lives.
46% of respondents acknowledged that breastfeeding was terminated before the first six months of the baby and of this percentage, 62% indicated that labor motives were to blame for this early abandonment of breastfeeding.
The conciliation, the eternal problem
There are few mothers who feel judged or rejected if they are forced to request a change of schedules or tasks in their workplace, as noted Sara Muñoz, Marketing and Sales Director of Suavinex, although it is a subject perfectly regulated by law.
After joining the work 43% of the more than 1550 mothers surveyed, they indicate that they requested a reduction in working hours assuming the possible negative consequences that these would entail (both salary and labor for the future).
8% of respondents to the need for a reorganization, chose to request a leave, become autonomous or receive help from the family.
7% of respondents were forced by circumstances to make the most radical decision and leave what had been their job until that moment.
It is evident that much remains to be done and that conciliation affects many aspects of family life, from breastfeeding to childcare, from education to the prevention of problems such as bullying, Hopefully, sooner rather than later, conciliatory measures will be taken for everyone.
