Breastfeed to save lives

The importance and benefits of breastfeeding is increasingly lost on mothers in Sarawak, who rank second to last in a nationwide poll on breastfeeding mothers in Malaysia.

The Star Online

ACCORDING to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) fact sheet, breastfeeding has been proven to be the most effective way of reducing the mortality rate of children under five years old and it saves more than 3,500 children lives everyday.

“With so much at stake, we need to do more to reach women with a simple, powerful message: ‘Breastfeeding can save your baby’s life’,” said Unicef executive director, Anthony Lake, at the recent World Breastfeeding Week.

Mothers in Sarawak seem to have a lot of catching up to do in terms of breastfeeding. A nationwide poll on exclusive breastfeeding by mothers during the first six months after childbirth puts Sarawak second last with 6.1%.

The fact was made known by Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin last July when she spoke at a food basket presentation at Bekenu. She also noted that Sarawak needed to do something about the worrying statistics.

Research has shown that artificially-fed babies are at greater risk of gastro-intestinal, respiratory and urinary tract infections. They are also more prone to allergic diseases as well as Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and childhood leukaemia.

It is a known fact that mothers who breastfeed have lower risk of getting breast cancer, ovarian cancer and hip fractures.

Some recent studies even claimed that breastfeeding lessened the risk of having rheumatoid arthritis and postnatal depression. But these claims need to be substantiated with further research.

Breastfeeding is most economical. Breast milk substitutes that are nutritionally adequate are expensive.

A tin of nutritionally comparable infant formula could go up to RM70 or more per tin. One baby would consume about 40kg of formula over a year, this is equivalent to 80 tins.

Breast milk is best but many mothers take it for granted by falsely thinking that formula is just as good or even better. Some even believe that using formula milk depicts a better quality of life while breastfeeding is a thing of the past from the villages.

The good news is more people are becoming aware of what is good for them by going back to nature and opting an all-natural solution as a lifestyle. With this we also see breastfeeding making a comeback.

Breastfeeding isn’t easy. Mothers who go to Klinik Kesihatan Ibu dan Anak are always asked whether they are still breastfeeding, and who gives them support? This is done each time they come in for an appointment.

Without support, breastfeeding usually fails as the formula is an ever-ready, easy way out. And once formula is used to substitute a feed, it will further decrease the milk supply. It acts almost like a trap.

“Most mothers give up on breastfeeding as soon as they resume work. Some just can’t be bothered to make that extra effort of breast pads and breast pumps during office hours. I only managed to breastfeed for six months,” said Nurhaiza-wati Samsimon, who has a three-year-old son.

Another mother claims that she has struggled to make it happen but gave up in the end because of the unsupportive environment at the workplace and public places.

“I use a nursing poncho in public but still get stares as if I’m doing something wrong and there aren’t many baby-friendly places around in Kuching,” says another mother, who has a four-month-old daughter.

Then there are those who give up at the first obstacle encountered as they have preconceptions and false expectations of breastfeeding.

Mastura Ishak, a mother of four, used to believe that she didn’t have enough milk. She also used to complain of painful breastfeeding sessions. It wasn’t until she met with a lactation consultant that she realised she wasn’t doing it right.

Her wrong techniques and positioning was what made it painful during feeding and to her surprise, she actually had more than enough milk for her youngest son.

It was announced last May that nurseries will soon become a permanent feature at Sabah state government department offices. The announcement was made by the Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun.

Hopes are that this move will be followed by Sarawak’s state government as well. So far, nurseries are being built at some chosen government departments in Kuching. This move would be greatly appreciated by breastfeeding mothers in Sarawak as they could easily drop by at the nursery to breastfeed their babies.

“A nursery within the office would be a great contribution to all working mothers. It would definitely ease the mother’s burden and worry as the child is in the same building and there won’t be any need for a breast pump,” said Farah, a mother of six who works as a radio presenter in Kuching.

Basically, mothers want a supportive environment at work and public places. It doesn’t seem much to ask but there is still hesitation and ignorance that hinders further support.

There are only a few public places that are equipped with a nursing room and even less work places with a nursing facility. Even public places such as airports and shopping malls don’t have nursing rooms.

Many mothers have had to do breastfeeding in a car or public toilet. Those who are brave enough will nurse in public without escaping glares and stares of some closed-minded individuals. Some skeptics argue the obscenity of nursing in public even when the mothers are properly dressed for nursing.

Last August, a breastfeeding flash mob was organised at KLCC. It was a protest against the management that hasn’t been supportive of mothers who choose to nurse in public. Around 150 people joined in including fathers, grandparents and even some young unmarried women.

“Breastfeeding should be simple. Your baby can’t wait for you to run from fourth floor to the concourse level in KLCC for you to breastfeed,” says Ayuni Zainudin who organised the flash mob.

The full-time mother also firmly suggested that the government should give women six months’ maternity leave instead if they are serious about promoting exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. The government has been promoting breastfeeding since the early seventies.

A National Breastfeeding Campaign was initiated by the Ministry of Health in 1976. Three years later, the Code of Ethics for Marketing and Distribution of Infant Formula Products was formulated.

In 1997, all Ministry of Health’s hospitals were declared Baby Friendly Hospitals. Approved Baby Friendly Hospitals must comply with ten specific criteria such as helping mothers to initiate breastfeeding within one and half hours of birth, practise rooming in and foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups.

The Malaysian Breastfeeding Peer Counsellors (MBfPC) is an effort to have more trained peer counsellors to support breastfeeding mothers. It puts forward peer support as an im-portant tool in ensuring prolonged breastfeeding as well as exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.

The project is carried out by susuibu.com, an online breastfeeding support centre. It is supported by World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action and is partly funded by Unicef.       

MbfPC started by training 19 individuals as programme administrators in January last year. In 2010 alone these individuals then trained 158 individuals as peer counsellors.

So far there are peer counsellors all over Malaysia except for Sarawak. Thus, the group hopes to conduct its first training in Kuching this November and any interested individuals are advised to get in touch with them through their website.

HM4HB Malaysia is a chapter of the global milk-sharing network, HM4HB Global Network. HM4HB Global network aims at promoting nourishment of babies and children around the world with human milk.

It has over 130 chapters in over 50 countries. The chapter basically serves as a platform for milk sharing. It brings together local families that choose to share breast milk.

By accessing their Facebook page, mothers can share their milk in a safe and ethical manner. This enables families to make informed choices.

The HM4HB Malaysia has had many heartwarming success stories.

Breastfeeding is the best way to nurture and nourish a child. Even formula makers admit that their formula can’t quite match breast milk’s nutient and vitamin content.

The best way to promote breastfeeding is not just to create awareness of the issue but also create a supportive environment that extends beyond the baby-friendly hospitals.

The government could only do so much without the private sector’s support.

It’s about time both parties as well as businesses show that they care about saving lives.