Breast-feeding women take part in a breast-feeding contest to celebrate Mother’s Day in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. JP/J. Adiguna
Dozens of breast-feeding activists will descend on the capital next week in order to raise awareness about breast-feeding.
Activists from countries as disparate as Japan and Afghanistan will join the four-day One Asia event organized by the Indonesian Breast-feeding Mothers’ Association (AIMI) and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN).
By the end of the program’s seminars and workshops, participants are expected to have drafted the Jakarta Declaration, solidifying the commitment of NGOs in the Asia-Pacific region to promote breast-feeding.
AIMI official Nia Umar said the declaration would provide concrete steps for action, depending on local conditions.
“For Indonesia, we really want the government to draft a regulation as soon as possible. We also hope the government can create tangible programs to raise awareness of breast-feeding,” she said.
Nia said AIMI had regular programs such as talk shows and hospital visits. AIMI faced challenges in these programs, especially from mothers who were not aware of the benefits of breast-feeding, Nia said.
“They believed the myths and see too many commercials for formulated milk. At the same time, I don’t think there are any mothers who do not want to give their babies the best. We provide information for those people,” she said.
Nia said the campaign faced multiple challenges. In urban areas, campaigners have to dispel the perception that it is alright to feed babies formulated milk, even before they are six months old. In rural areas, the problem is how to convince parents not to feed their babies bananas, cassava or rice.
AIMI also found that fewer mothers were willing to breast-feed.
“Of 1,000 mothers stating they don’t breast-feed, we found only one who was incapable due to physiological problems. Almost every woman can breast-feed her baby. But breast-feeding mothers need support from families, communities and societies,” she said.
Such support is necessary, especially for young mothers who have just given birth.
Mega Amanda is one of those who benefited from such support. Just after having her child the hospital sent a councilor to her room to teach her about breast-feeding.
“They also visited me once after I left the hospital. I had no problems breast-feeding, but I had the baby blues for about two weeks. I think it was natural because I had a cesarean section. I had a fear of not being a complete mother because I could not give birth naturally,” she said.
When her maternity leave was over and she had to go back to work, Mega was afraid that she would lose that bond with her baby. She had to leave her baby with a nanny or her mother-in-law on weekdays.
“I should not be so fearful. Breast-feeding has bonded me to my baby,” she said.
Mega also got support at work. On her first day back, she had to use a breast pump, but could not find a safe place to pump. She could not do it in the restroom, so she asked her employer to provide a private space for breast-feeding mothers.
“My boss allowed me to use his office since he rarely used it. I used the room for six months. I used a thermos to carry the milk because it takes two hours to get from my office to home,” she said.
Nia’s baby is now nine months old and she plans to continue breast-feeding until her child is two years old.
For another young mother, Triyana Putri Lestari, her biggest source of information was a close relative.
“At first, I was inspired to breast-feed after seeing my sister-in-law breast-feed her baby. Her baby and mine are only nine months apart. So we often share information about baby health,” she said.
She started to use a breast pump when her baby was one month old and she was still on maternity leave.
When Triyani returned to work, she continued using her breast pump. Although her office does not have a special room for mothers, she can use a vacant room.
Triyana found that breast-feeding is relatively easy and benefits her baby. “I had no problems breast-feeding. I believe a mother’s milk has everything a baby needs. It’s the perfect meal compared to formulated milk. It is also less expensive,” she said.
She plans to continue breastfeeding her 16-month-old baby boy until he turned two years old.
For Ferderika “Rika” Tadu Hungu, breast-feeding is something that was handed down to her by her mother, who had eight kids and breast-fed them all. Rika also read books on breast-feeding.
“We had our baby when my husband and I were in our 30s, after two years of marriage. Both my husband and I want to give our baby the best, and that includes mother’s milk exclusively,” she said.
Because of her caesarian section, Rika was separated from her baby for a while. “Without my consent, the hospital gave my boy formulated milk. I found this inconsistent [on the hospital’s part]. It appears the hospital does not encourage mothers to breast-feed early on. The hospital even had a promotional program for formulated milk. When I left the hospital, they gave me some branded formulated milk,” she said.
Rika could only breast-feed her baby after three days.
Rika believes the majority of mothers prefer mother’s milk to formulated milk, as the former is certainly more practical. If we use formulated milk, we need to prepare hot water then dip the bottle into the cold water if the milk is too hot,” she said.
Her baby boy is now a healthy and active 20-month-old. Rika said her baby was more resistant to health problems common to his peers like the flu.
Even when a relative with chicken pox came to visit, her baby did not catch the virus.
“He is not as fat as little kids fed with formulated milk. But he is a healthy baby,” she said.
Rika vows that she will breast-feed her baby as long as she can. The effect of breast-feeding is the strong bond she is building with her baby, she said.
Given the benefits of breast-feeding, Rika said there should be government policies to support young mothers. “The government needs to ensure the availability of nursery rooms in public places, offices, places of worship and public transportation,” she said.
She also hoped the government could provide incentives for breast-feeding mothers who had to stop working in order to breast-feed. They could include giving nutritious food to breast-feeding mothers.
“If the children get their mother’s milk, they will be healthy. As a result, we could spend less on healthcare,” she said.
