Interview with minsaude.pt
According to WHO/UNICEF guidelines, babies should be exclusively breastfed until they are six months old and then continue to breastfeed until they are two years old or more, and complementary feeding should be introduced.
These organisms and several studies show that exclusive breast milk up to six months is the food necessary to meet the baby's needs and allows it to grow and develop properly. The baby should not be offered water, tea or other liquids other than syrups and vitamins. Even when it's hot, milk doesn't contain enough water to hydrate the baby.
In Portugal, maternity leave is 5 months, with the mother being able to stay at home for 6 months with lost pay. If she chooses this last option, otherwise, mothers who go to work before 6 months will be able to continue exclusive breastfeeding by expressing milk and offering this milk to the baby. Another possibility is for a working mother to combine her vacation with her maternity leave, thus giving her time to complete 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding.
After six months, breastfeeding is easy to maintain until two years or more, as the mother will breastfeed her baby when she gets home, before going to bed and when the baby wakes up. With this practice, weaning will occur normally, when the family trio (father, mother and child) agree.