2023-08-04 17:00:20
Adequate nutrition is a child’s right and a key element to ensure the survival of children and guarantee their development. Breastfeeding should begin at birth and be maintained exclusively until six months of age.
The National Survey of Boys, Girls and Women (ENIM), which was implemented in 2015 by the National Institute of Public Health and UNICEF Mexico, shows that two out of three children under six months of age nationwide do not receive exclusive breastfeeding and important challenges persist to enforce current regulations on this practice in Mexican health institutions.
Only 54.4% of newborns in Mexico are placed in the womb after delivery
Nationwide, 54.4% of boys and girls are placed in the womb during the first hour after delivery. In the south of the country, early initiation of breastfeeding is less frequent (34.7%), as well as in boys and girls born in private hospitals (38.3%) and by cesarean section (37.9%).
Exclusive breastfeeding is part of the diet of only 31% of babies under six months
What is clear is that when women receive support for the lactation, through formal and structured counseling, the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding increases. Likewise, this support must be offered in a standardized way by trained personnel, during pre- and post-natal care and must include advance appointments with trained medical personnel, nurses or volunteers.
Regarding the practice of breastfeeding, at the national level, only 31% of children under six months receive exclusive breastfeeding. In some groups, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding was lower, such as among boys and girls born to adolescent mothers, those born by caesarean section, those born in private hospitals, and those who received foods other than breast milk in the first days after delivery.
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