UNICEF Cuba supports national efforts to promote, protect and encourage breastfeeding

This year, the World Breastfeeding Week highlights the importance of the effective support chain for the mother and her baby, starting at the gestation period and throughout the first two years of a child’s life. The day represents a call to coordinate efforts to favour breastfeeding among various actors at all levels.

Despite the benefits of breastfeeding, challenges remain if Cuba is to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target of 70 percent exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life by 2030. A range of social, cultural and economic conditions influence the decision to abandon the practice of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life and then complementing it with other foods up to the age of two.

“Breastfeeding is fundamental to child health and development,” said Alejandra Trossero, UNICEF Representative in Cuba. “We work together with national authorities, health personnel, communities and Cuban families in the promotion and protection of breastfeeding, as well as in the prevention and care of child malnutrition. Only through a joint effort can we overcome the current challenges and ensure that every child in Cuba has the best possible start in life.”

Providing information on the benefits of breastfeeding for both babies and mothers is an essential step, which requires the engagement of health personnel from primary healthcare, the media and other social actors close to families.

Breastfeeding support

Mothers who breastfeed their babies longer tend to express greater satisfaction with the support they receive from their partners and families compared to those who choose to end breastfeeding early. Their perception of their ability to produce breastmilk also plays a role. Depression, anxiety, dissatisfaction with the growth of the breastfed baby, as well as unhealthy eating patterns reproduced by families and communities are red flags that anticipate breastfeeding abandonment. Supporting the breastfeeding mother and attending to her physical and mental health promotes breastfeeding.

Guaranteeing the daily consumption of nutritious food as part of the diet of pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children is something difficult for families in the context of the economic crisis that Cuba is going through and puts at risk the sustainability of the achievements made in recent decades by the country, impacting on the access of the most vulnerable children to adequate products and services.

Despite these challenges, the Cuban authorities’ efforts to generate a more supportive environment for breastfeeding and mother and child nutrition are complemented by the Law on Food Sovereignty and Food and Nutrition Security, which provides an enabling framework to develop more comprehensive strategies in response to the nutritional needs of the population.

In 2024, Decree Law No. 84 came into force, extending social benefits for maternity leave up to 15 months of a baby’s life, facilitating breastfeeding continuity. Another important step is the approval of a resolution by the Ministry of Public Health for the protection, promotion and encouragement of breastfeeding and the work of Human Milk Banks.

This law was passed for the best interest of the child. It establishes the legal basis for breastfeeding in the country and implements the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.

UNICEF’s contribution

During 2023, UNICEF Cuba contributed to strengthening the technical capacities of health professionals for the promotion of breastfeeding, the prevention of malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life and the prevention of overweight and obesity at school age. In addition, UNICEF supported the development of the “National Strategy for the management, control and comprehensive monitoring of Human Milk Bank services in Cuba.”

UNICEF has collaborated in the development and ongoing process of updating the Dietary Guidelines for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Mothers in Cuba and the Dietary Guidelines for Children up to 2 years of age. These pages provide crucial information to improve child feeding practices and promote proper nutrition from the earliest stages of life.

Another key intervention to prevent anaemia in children aged 12-23 months is the procurement and distribution of Multi-Nutrient Powders (MNPs), which contain 15 essential vitamins and minerals. Their use in daily meals contributes to providing appropriate complementary feeding.

“UNICEF will continue to support breastfeeding-friendly policies and share best practices so that all mothers can enjoy breastfeeding successfully and effectively,” said Alejandra Trossero. “Effective support for breastfeeding women and their families has implications for the well-being of children. Let’s contribute to this better start in life,” added the UNICEF Representative in Cuba.