Let’s protect breastfeeding

Belgrade, 11 March 2022 – The use of medicines during breastfeeding is on the rise, and knowledge of the effects and characteristics of the medicine, as well as its side effects, is important for the appropriate choice of optimal medicine and for continuation of breastfeeding.  Therefore, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia, upon the proposal of the Republic Expert Commission for Breastfeeding Support, established a Working Group which, with the support of UNICEF Serbia and the financial support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, developed the National Guidelines for the Use of Medicines during Breastfeeding.   

Promotion, support and protection of breastfeeding is one of the important areas in all strategic documents of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia concerning the health and well-being of children.

 “In order to make breast milk the first choice of nutrition for every newborn, in 2018, the Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted the National Breastfeeding Support Programme, which, with the coordination of the Republic Expert Commission for Breastfeeding and UNICEF, is successfully implemented and is attaining expected results. The implementation of the recommendations from the National Guidelines for the Use of Medicines during Breastfeeding will significantly influence the fact that doctors decide on the continuation of breastfeeding in a safe and correct way, even in a situation when the mother needs to take medication. Consistent application of the Guidelines will reduce the often unnecessary discontinuation of breastfeeding for mothers who need pharmacotherapy,”  said Prof. Dr. Predrag Sazdanovic, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health.    

Breastfeeding enables mother easier recovery from delivery, infant the best opportunities for growth and development and strengthening of his/her defence system, as well as the exchange of strong positive emotions and stimulation of all the senses.

"For health professionals who are engaged with maternal and child health, the content of the National Guidelines is a valuable source of information about safe breastfeeding in circumstances when mothers need to take medication. They will reduce the possibility of unnecessary cessation of breastfeeding and will additionally influence the increase of breastfeeding rates in Serbia. Despite the unequivocal evidence about the benefits of breastmilk for newborns, the rates of breastfed children around the world are still at an unsatisfactory level. Globally, only 44% of newborns are breastfed until the age of five months, while in Serbia only one in four newborns up to the age of five months is breastfed, a rate that is even lower among newborns from vulnerable groups. Although many factors influence the establishment of breastfeeding, the practices that are instituted in the maternity wards are crucial - the mother and baby staying in the same room, early skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth, and appropriate support to the mother to stimulate breastfeeding from day one provided by health professionals," said Yosi Echeverry Burckhardt, UNICEF Serbia Deputy Representative.

When we protect breastfeeding, we protect children in the most vulnerable period of their lives. The content of mother's milk is constantly adjusted to the infant's needs, which means that every mother produces milk that meets the nutritional and developmental needs of her child. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure continuous support to mothers to breastfeed, even when there is a need for the mother to take some therapy. However, the data shows that in Serbia, as many as 60% of children in maternity wards do not receive breast milk as their first meal, and only 24% of children are breastfed until they are 5 months old. 

National Guidelines for the Use of Medicines during Breastfeeding are a unique guide for all physicians and pharmacists in order to reduce the number of breastfeeding discontinuations due to the need of breastfeeding mothers for acute or chronic therapy. Knowledge of the effects of medicines used during breastfeeding is important for those who prescribe the therapy and facilitate the management of breastfeeding pharmacotherapy. In contrast, inadequate prescribing can lead to unnecessary discontinuation or inadequate treatment of chronic or acute illnesses during breastfeeding, and lead to discontinuation of breastfeeding.