“It’s not an illness, it’s normal”: The human cry for the right to breastfeed

In Paraguay, mothers face significant challenges, including workplace demands and scrutiny over fertility, often being forced to breastfeed in secret. During World Awareness Breastfeeding Week, Dr. Mirian Ortigoza, head of the Ministry of Public Health's Breastfeeding Program, pointed out the disconnect between legal protections for mothers and children and the harsh realities of corporate culture and state inertia.

Ortigoza emphasizes that breastfeeding is a natural process for mothers and infants, not a medical condition. The program aims to provide support from before birth, with family health units and maternity hospitals guiding expectant mothers. However, she notes that even healthcare professionals sometimes resist this essential, natural approach, a shift away from decades of promoting alternatives.

The program's goal is for every newborn to receive breast milk from birth. Yet, this right requires a supportive environment when mothers return to their communities and daily lives. A critical, yet neglected, action in Paraguay is controlling the marketing of infant formulas, bottles, and pacifiers. Ortigoza stresses the urgency of this regulation amidst a fierce market.

“

The child must receive human milk, and there is no comparison with any other type of milk.