Costa Rica in the Forum “The Best Start for Life”

During the World Breastfeeding Week, and in line with the government’s motto, “ Closing the gap: supporting breastfeeding in all situations “, the Costa Rican government had the opportunity to officially present the guidelines for measures for managing breastfeeding during emergencies, with the presence of the Minister of Health and Vice President of the Republic of Costa Rica. 

Other activities carried out in Costa Rica were when two hospitals were being evaluated as part of the Baby-Friendly Hospitals Initiative (IHANN), and one of the points to be evaluated was the knowledge of health personnel on the subject of breastfeeding in the areas of childbirth, maternity, and paediatrics. The link to the “Magic Drop” course was shared with them before the evaluation so that professionals could take the course, become more aware of the subject, and have greater knowledge with an international certificate to support them, which was enriching for them, and by evaluating each hospital, they achieved certification and were thus designated as part of the Baby-Friendly Hospitals Initiative (IHANN). 

The virtual course “The Magic Drop” has been one of the instruments that we have socialised to health professionals and breastfeeding advisors so that they can also have this great resource to be applied in their work. It has also been shared and recommended to mothers and their families so that they know the importance of preferring and putting breastfeeding first, as well as the difficulties and how to overcome them so that it is a beautiful experience for families. — Dr. Karol Ruiz Valera