Infants in Danger: Breastfeeding Challenges and Latin America’s Response 

Viewed as an act of deep love, kindness, and sacrifice, breastfeeding is considered to be a sacred practice across cultures. A mother’s milk is the best possible nutrition for the baby. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first six months of a baby’s life. It is best if a mother can continue this practice until her child is two years old. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that breastfeeding is rapidly on the decline. This holds true in Latin American regions like Puerto Rico and Colombia. 

This is a matter of grave concern, as we shall discuss in this article. Keep reading to understand the breastfeeding challenges Latino mothers face and Latin America’s response to the problem. 

Major Breastfeeding Challenges Latin American Women Face 

No matter how important breastfeeding may be for infants, mothers across Latin America grapple with a host of challenges. These include the following. 

• A lack of funding – There have not been many programs that support breastfeeding or raise awareness about it. 
• Inadequate support from health staff – Women may find themselves in an extremely vulnerable position because the healthcare staff are unwilling to offer adequate support. This means breastfeeding challenges are not properly prevented or addressed at the earliest. 
• Insufficient workplace support – One major roadblock to breastfeeding in the Latin American region is the lack of workplace support. UNICEF states that the percentage of babies six months and under who are exclusively breastfed is just 43%, which is lower than the global average (48%). Workplaces lack breastfeeding rooms, awareness sessions, non-discrimination policies, and paid maternity leaves. 
• A belief that formula is better – Due to a lack of regulation regarding the marketing of artificial foods, mothers may fall for aggressive tactics practiced by formula manufacturers. They may believe that commercial baby formulas are a better option than breast milk. 
• Concerns regarding milk supply – This one may affect any woman but is a major scare among Latino mothers. Some may experience a low milk supply or delayed production. 

Commercial Formulas Are Part of the Problem 

In our previous section, we briefly touched upon the widely believed idea that commercial baby formulas might be better. Even at the infamous hour of the formula shortage across the United States, countries like Mexico had them stocked everywhere at the pharmacies. 

Some Americans reported purchasing their baby formulas from Mexico. These artificial baby food products are available across the Latin American region. However, that does not mean they are necessarily safe or better. 

The concerns regarding baby formulas have to do with health risks, especially among premature infants. In the States, commercial baby formula manufacturers like Abbott Laboratories and Mead Johnson have been criticized for their products like Similac and Enfamil. 

According to TorHoerman Law, infants fed with these formulas developed a serious gastrointestinal condition called Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC). It is a life-threatening issue with a mortality rate as high as 50%. Bacterial invasion of the intestinal wall leads to cellular destruction and inflammation. 

If left untreated, a serious infection may occur that may end up in perforation. This will spill the intestinal contents into the baby’s peritoneum. As NEC progresses, it causes symptoms like vomiting, abdominal tenderness, sepsis, and even death. 

Given how dangerous the condition is, parents of injured infants have filed the Similac and Enfamil lawsuit against the aforementioned formula manufacturers. These brands operate even across Latin America, in addition to Nestle which is currently a major player. 

Even that is bad news because Nestle is also facing severe criticism for its baby food products. It was found that its supplies across the African, South Asian, and Latin American markets were contaminated with high levels of sugar. 

Latin America’s Unique Response to the Challenges 

As discussed above, the Latin American region has had its fair share of challenges associated with infant nutrition. Now, while the US is desperately relying on baby formulas, countries in Latin America have adopted unique measures. Let’s look at three of them. 

Milk Banks 

Human milk banks are institutions that safely collect, process and distribute breast milk from healthy donors to needy infants. Babies who are unable to receive their mother’s milk due to reasons like premature birth, low birth weight, or sickness can be fed milk from these banks. 

Brazil currently has the most extensive milk bank network in the world. It boasts of housing such food technologies that not only make human milk widely available but also at low costs. Even the celebration of World Human Milk Donation Day (May 19th) originates from Brazil. 

Even other countries like Mexico and Panama are following Brazil’s example. For instance, a new pasteurized human milk bank was set up in Panama this year to strengthen infant nutrition. It was started in collaboration with many organizations, including the Latin American Center for Perinatology, the Pan American Health Organization, and the Global Network of Human Milk Banks. 

Cross-feeding 

Also known as cross-nursing, cross-feeding is the practice of breastfeeding a child that is not your own on an informal basis. Now, this may sound similar to the concept of the Victorian wet nurse but there is a vital difference. 

The former used to be a strictly professional arrangement where a woman of the lower social class was hired by the elite for breastfeeding. Cross-feeding is the practice of nursing the infant among social equals, usually a woman from the family or friend circle. This is also an unpaid practice. 

This practice is also widely prevalent among Latin American mothers, with Brazil being a prominent nation again. In a study, it was found that of the surveyed 5,831 mothers, nearly 21.1% practiced cross-feeding. 4.8% of women even donated their milk to human milk banks. 

Programs for Workplace Support 

We have also mentioned that a lack of proper workplace support has made it difficult for Latino mothers to breastfeed their babies. To reverse this issue, UNICEF is taking initiatives. 

It is collaborating with governments, unions, and enterprises to offer workplace support for breastfeeding moms. Technical support is being provided to companies for the installation of good breastfeeding rooms. 

Moreover, webinars, training sessions, and events are being organized to raise awareness regarding the importance of breastfeeding. Some of the main countries where vigorous work is taking place include El Salvador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. 

In conclusion, we cannot say that the situation is completely under control. This means infants continue to be in danger of nutritional deficiencies and stunted growth. 

Recent studies have also shown that children across Latin America continue to face micronutrient deficiencies. Even maternal nutrition is not up to the mark. Given the measures being taken, let’s hope that our mothers and babies will receive the support they deserve.