During the launch of the Donate Breast Milk Campaign by the Ministry of Health, the representative of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Brazil, Joaquín Molina, stated that the country’s actions to promote breastfeeding are a reference for the world.
“Brazil has been an example for other countries, and this is due to its policies, regulations, strategies, and educational initiatives for the entire population about the importance of breastfeeding. We also need to congratulate Brazilian women because they were responsible for approximately 90% of the collection of more than 1 million liters of donated milk worldwide in recent years,” said the official.
PAHO recommends that babies be exclusively fed with their mother’s milk for the first six months of life and that breastfeeding continues, along with the introduction of other foods, for up to two years or more.
In Brazil, the regional United Nations agency created a Breastfeeding Support Room in 2015, where breastfeeding women can store their milk in containers. The liquid is kept in a freezer at a controlled temperature. At the end of the workday, the mother can take her milk home and offer it to her child or donate it to a Human Milk Bank.
A study published in the journal The Lancet states that breastfeeding is associated with a 13% reduction in the likelihood of overweight and/or obesity prevalence and a 35% reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes.
PAHO warns that the right to breastfeed in public places must be guaranteed to all populations, as well as other rights involving justified absence from the workplace to care for newborns.
Only ten out of 38 countries in the Americas (Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela) grant at least 14 weeks of maternity leave, as recommended by the International Labour Organization (ILO). This scenario does not favor the practice of breastfeeding as advocated by PAHO.
A study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion 
debunks misconceptions and shows that breastfeeding mothers take less time off work than those who feed their children formula. This is because health problems in children fed with breast milk tend to be less frequent and severe.
In the United States, the losses from breastfeeding below the recommended levels amount to $13 billion for children—excluding cognitive effects—and $17.4 billion for mothers.
Source: UN BR