National Breastfeeding Policy, August 5th 2020.

The purpose of this Policy is to promote exclusive breastfeeding by ensuring compliance among health professionals, mothers and families, and civil society with a focus on the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding programmes and initiatives as part of a life course approach to the overall development of the child, with emphasis on the prevention of non-communicable diseases. The objectives of the policy are: Provide the framework for the implementation of the Revised BFHI Guidance 2018 and the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” in all public healthcare facilities; Provide the framework for a plan of action that ensures breastfeeding is promoted, supported, and incorporated into the whole of government and the whole of society approaches inclusive of health professionals, employers, manufacturers, importers, community, and family; Increase the percentage of babies who receive immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact and start breastfeeding within the first hour after birth; Advocate for the enforcement of regulations concerning the production and marketing of breast-milk substitutes as contained in the WHO/UNICEF International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes; Increase the proportion of health professionals who receive adequate breastfeeding education and training; Facilitate breastfeeding education and community support for breastfeeding mothers and their families; Increase the number of breastfeeding-friendly settings/environments; and Strengthen breastfeeding information systems for evidence-based decision making.
This Policy applies to all stakeholders in the private and public sectors of Trinidad and Tobago offering services and products related to breastfeeding. This includes relevant health care staff and family support, the community and NGOs, civil society and other support groups, and manufacturers and marketing personnel employed in the sale and promotion of breast-milk substitutes and complementary foods using international standards. The scope of this policy is as follows: - To integrate breastfeeding services into the model of care for mothers and newborns in order to reduce the risk of obesity in children, and protect women against breast and ovarian cancer and diabetes; To develop appropriate strategies, programmes, and intervention for breastfeeding services; To develop and monitor plans and targets through information systems and reporting; To facilitate the incorporation of the WHO/UNICEF International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in local legislation; and To develop appropriate and effective communication and education programmes on breastfeeding as the preferred choice for infant and child health development.
There will be no discrimination and/or stigmatisation against any mother who wishes to breastfeed at the workplace or otherwise, and even if the choice is not to breastfeed whether it is for medically indicated reasons or otherwise; All pregnant women and mothers will be empowered to make informed choices as it relates to the nutrition of their infant through breastfeeding as the preferred choice. The overall intended use of the Policy is to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those in areas such as health, poverty, hunger, gender equality and education, which are all linked to breastfeeding.