Las Family Medicine Units (UMF) No. 32 from Pachuca; No. 35 of Mineral de la Reforma and No. 15 of Apan, of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in Hidalgo, received the nomination “Boy and Girl Friendly Units”following having met the criteria established by the World Health Organization (OMS), The Pan American Health Organization (OPS) and the FUnited Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“The units that have received this nomination promote, protect and support the right to breastfeeding for a healthy childhood, so the work is constant for the benefit of the sons and daughters of our beneficiaries.”, explained Dr. Llurely Cristina Islas Téllez, assistant coordinator of IMSS Public Health in Hidalgo.
The UMF will be working under the breastfeeding guideline, which indicates that newborns will be exclusively breastfed until six months of age and in a complementary manner until two years or more, which represents a benefit for the child, the mother, her family, society and the health sector.
Islas Téllez pointed out “children who exclusively receive this food during the first six months, have a healthier life and have a lower risk of suffering from gastrointestinal diseasesHence, this right is guaranteed for minors in our units.
In order to receive the nomination, the FMUs must have a written policy, train health personnel in the necessary skills to implement it, in addition to informing pregnant and lactating women of the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
The auxiliary coordinator of Public Health of the IMSS in Hidalgo said “the newborn should not be given other foods or liquids, unless medically justified; practice rooming-in; encourage breastfeeding on demand, avoid the use of bottles and/or pacifiers, in addition to forming support groups for mothers who have questions regarding the proper technique for breastfeeding their babies”.
The benefits are not only for babies, since breastfeeding creates a mother-child bond; In the case of the mother, it reduces postpartum bleeding, it also reduces the risks of suffering from breast and ovarian cancer.
