Breastfeeding — making it work at work

Moms and hospitals around the state are working to figure out what can be done to support breastfeeding.

According to the Washington Post, the new program will start with an app that will allow women to enter the travel location and choose how many temperature-controlled packages she will need to ship her breast milk home.

We know that breastfeeding helps children to survive and thrive enabling infants to withstand infections, providing critical nutrients for the early development of their brains and bodies, and strengthening the bond between mothers and their babies.

For more details on World Breastfeeding Week, visit the website.

I consider myself lucky to have accidently landed in breastfeeding “boot camp” when, for various health reasons, my son and I stayed in hospital for a whole week after he was born.

Talking about her experience, Delhi-based fitness instructor, Silky Saures shares, “I breastfed my daughter for nearly 2.5 years”.

“We live in a Chinese society and people may think breastfeeding should be done in a very private place”, remarks Hong Kong Breastfeeding Mothers” Association (HKBFMA) chairperson and mother-of-two, Miu Tang.

This year’s World Breastfeeding week is calling attention to the challenges women face combining work with breastfeeding, and urges all governments and stakeholders to give women in the formal and informal sectors the support needed to succeed. Breastfeeding can also prevent pregnancy at least for the first six months after giving birth.

A poll of 800 women found more than half reduced the amount they breastfed when they re-entered the workplace. “At the same time, employers need to study the needs of breastfeeding mothers”, says Tang.

And while breastfeeding rates have increased in all regions of the world, global progress has stalled.

This is World Breastfeeding Week and with it, much information is coming out regarding the extensive benefits of feeding newborns with breast milk. A few months ago, different groups of mothers organized several protests against restaurants and stores that forbade breastfeeding in public. The MDHSS and Missouri Breastfeeding Coalition also recognize child care providers in Missouri that provide support to their breastfeeding families and employees through the “Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care” award.

The organization, that has created the hashtag #YoSacoPecho (a play on words in Spanish), encourages women to share pictures breastfeeding their babies on Twitter. “The cholesterol and fatty acids in breast milk are scientifically proven to promote higher intelligence in children”, said Dr Abu Bakr.

De-stigmatizing breastfeeding in public, Laurie said, requires a shift in thinking in the United States. “It is time we introspect what is important not only for the health of our children but the future health of our country”, asserted Dr Jog.