He Capitalism is the enemy of Breastfeeding, proclaims this video made by a Venezuelan television. The language and some of the conclusions are risky, unprovable. Talking about "Capitalism" is excessive, although there are very strong economic interests that have made real the extension of artificial breastfeeding. But on the other hand, international and independent health and childhood protection agencies, such as the WHO or UNICEF support some of the claims made. As I said, on the basis of the data handled by the video there are conclusions that are supported by what WHO says; UNICEF and other organizations of international importance and proven independence. We can read the documents on breastfeeding distributed by UNICEF in the following link. That is, despite companies, global organizations support and promote breastfeeding. The World Health Organization also makes an enormous effort to convey the importance of breastfeeding. But one fact is true: breast milk is free and children who drink it, statistically and according to scientific studies recognized as true by the aforementioned organisms, suffer fewer diseases. Artificial milk produces huge economic benefits for some companies, but it is related to higher rates of disease and, in emergencies or disadvantaged countries, its use increases infant mortality. The video maintains that it is the interests of these large companies, described as "capitalists", that have led to breastfeeding to its reduced global implantation.
Many times I have wondered what factors have led to the current situation. On the one hand there are women who do not want to breastfeed for different reasons. It is a very personal decision and apart from offering reliable and scientific information to have it before making a decision, I think nobody should judge it. It is your right and is totally respectable.
But the really serious and worrying thing for me is that there may be women not receiving serious information about breastfeeding and social support. My personal experience, from the support groups, is that it is an issue that has not yet been fully resolved.
Things are slowly changing in Spain. Hospitals strive to do breastfeeding courses and earn the title of Children's Friendly Hospital. Many professionals expand their studies. You can no longer give samples of milk in the consultations and surely only a minority are those who do it (although it was my turn). There is an ethical code that companies must respect, and that in developed countries is quite controlled.
However, the numbers of nursing mothers remain very low. What is the reason for this?
Returning to the topic of video and its approaches, and leaving aside the politicized language that it uses, and taking on my part the term "capitalism" rather than as a political system as a consumption scheme, we cannot deny that some enormously powerful companies benefit from it. Are they behind the expansion of artificial breastfeeding that makes so much money as the video keeps?
The video with which I illustrate the article explains how artificial breastfeeding has been progressing little by little in all societies and what are the techniques and tactics that producing companies have followed to make formula milk enter our lives.For many years, advertising and sales techniques were enormously aggressive, so much that it was essential that minimum regulations at the international level be done, what can be done and what cannot be done in artificial milk advertising: the Code of Milk Substitutes Maternal The World Alliance of Breastfeading Action is the body that currently watches over these issues and is independent of politics.
Children's health is a right, as UNICEF proclaims, but, in my opinion, this right has been diminished by the commercial interests of large and powerful companies. I explain myself: advertising, although in Western countries it forces them to declare in their products that breast milk is better, it is still very slippery. It does not force them to explain anything more than that.
For example, if continuation milk advertising is allowed, even though international organizations recommend that breastfeeding be continued until two years of age, considering that it is better for children's health. If the WHO I strongly recommend it, it would perhaps be appropriate to restrict this advertising more, at least in my opinion.
I do not know if it is lack of training or interests of some kind, but the truth is that I have found many mothers who fail to breastfeed and solve the problems that may happen to them. We have sometimes talked about the reasons why so few women breastfeed, Armando made a topic about it that seems very clear to me. What explains Armando in that topic and the difficulty of being a mother in this competitive and competitive society. in which we live so quickly are, I believe, the causes that there is still an index of women who manage to love so low when there are many more who would have wanted it.
I don't know if everything they will say in this video will be true. As I have pointed out, despite the source that is stained with politics, the most important international health promotion agencies endorse the underlying reasons for this call for attention. Feeding human children with cow's milk is widespread throughout the world and nobody is astonished. How have we reached the current situation? What do you think?
More information | UNICEF, Breast Milk Substitute Code, Code Violations, World Alliance for Breastfeading Action, International Baby Food Action Network
Video | Youtube
