The United Nations Human Rights Council recognizes the breastfeeding as a human right for babies and moms, a right that must be promoted and protected. So he picked it up in a Released on 22 November 2016 in Geneva.
The document referred to the "misleading, aggressive and inappropriate" marketing of breast milk substitutes - which governments must stop - the lack of information for health workers, cultural and family tradition and stigmatization that some women suffer in public places like obstacles to normalization of breastfeeding.
Human right
Human rights share the following characteristics: they are universal, inalienable, inalienable, imprescriptible and indivisible. Therefore, the right to breastfeed, which belongs to all babies and mothers, must have the same characteristics.
"At least" is not synonymous with "until"
La WHO (World Health Organization) and UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, the American Association of Pediatrics, the European Union, among other organizations, recommend breastfeeding "up to at least two years", "up to two years or more", that is, until the baby and the mother want.
I emphasize the imprescriptible character because in our society –Spain, XNUMXst century–, as I already spoke in the first article I wrote for Madres Hoy, I observe every day that breastfeeding up to six months is normalized, but at the moment in which solid foods begin to be introduced, their support and respect decreases until they plummet after two years.
Breastfeeding is emotional
If the support, normalization and respect for breastfeeding goes decreasing from approximately twelve months onwards, Is it possible that breastfeeding is only being valued as food? Elementary, dear Watson.
I think it is not necessary to repeat today the innumerable benefits that breastfeeding brings to the physical health of the baby, and also of the mother. But there is something more to breastfeeding: In addition to being the best food for a baby, breastfeeding provides emotional health. Because the baby calms down, relieves the pain of a fall (or a vaccine), falls asleep ... on the breast. Because in the teat there is heart, breath, heat, smell ... it is attachment, it is love.
Nursing Mothers Who Fight
Unfortunately there are many mothers fighting today for their breastfeeding, their babies' breastfeeding, to be protected and respected, which is not fair because any action that goes against it violates their human right.
This right is based on the physical and emotional health of the child, his mother and society, usually.