January 27th is World Breast Pumping Day to acknowledge mothers challenges when it comes to breastfeeding, especially in our country.
The Philippines is one of the countries with the lowest breastfeeding rates in Asia Pacific. According to the Department of Health (DOH), only about 30% of mothers exclusively breastfeed their babies for six months. This means that most babies are given formula milk or other food supplements from a young age.
Breastfeeding is considered as one of the best ways to protect infants from diseases such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and infections that are common among children who are not breastfed properly. It also helps prevent obesity later on in life and improves children’s IQs by six points compared to those who were not breastfed at all or for less than six months, according to WHO.
But there are many challenges when it comes to breastfeeding — from low milk supply, sore nipples, and even stigma from society due to lack of support from family members or employers who don’t allow women to express milk at work during their maternity leave days or while they’re still working full time. So what can be done?
The first step is to educate mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding and how it can help prevent various diseases and increase their children’s IQs. This will encourage more women to breastfeed for longer periods of time, which is what we need because only 46% of children in Nepal are breastfed within an hour after birth.
