Breastfeeding is highly commended, especially in a cultural country like ours, where motherhood is placed on a pedestal. In honour of World Breastfeeding Week, celebrated every 1 to 7 August, Brunch spoke to some experts to find out what breastfeeding entails in Sri Lanka.
World Breastfeeding Week was initiated in commemoration of the 1990 Innocenti Declaration, which was produced, and adopted by participants at the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) policymakers’ meeting on “Breastfeeding in the 1990s: A Global Initiative”, co-sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA).
Since its inception in 1992, World Breastfeeding Week has been honoured with annual themes, including healthcare systems, women and work, the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, community support, ecology, economy, science, education, and human rights. The theme for World Breastfeeding Week 2022 is “Step Up for Breastfeeding: Educate and Support”, focusing on educating more people about the advantages of breastfeeding and supporting breastfeeding mothers.
Right now, there is a lot of conversation around breastfeeding, as the US is currently facing a massive baby formula shortage, prompting calls to increase support for breastfeeding. In Sri Lanka, although there is not so much of a shortage, baby formula prices have skyrocketed in the last few months, where it is no longer affordable to the average household. As parents scramble to find and afford scarce baby formula and the Government races to boost production and imports, some advocates say that we should do more to encourage breastfeeding.
Lifelong benefits
In conversation with gynaecologist Prof. Hemantha Senanayake, Brunch asked him about the benefits of breastfeeding over formula. According to him, for a child, breastfeeding is beneficial in both the short term and the long term. “Breastfeeding changes the way a baby’s gut absorbs calcium, and is shown to have an effect on the long-term strength of the child’s bones,” he told us.
In terms of the emotional aspect, breastfeeding helps mothers form a bond with their babies that will last their whole life. “It even improves the mental health and IQ of the child.”
When talking about benefits for the mother, Prof. Senanayake explained that breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer. “One study in Brazil suggests that the longer the baby is breastfed, the more likely they will flourish in their workplace as adults,” he stated.
Prof. Senanayake believes that we should be doing all we can to encourage women to breastfeed.
The dark side of breastfeeding
In light of the formula shortage, many people have responded not by sympathising with terrified parents worried about whether they’ll be able to feed their children, but by asking a simple and terribly ignorant question: Why don’t parents just breastfeed? Considering nearly 15% of new parents deal with breastfeeding obstacles ranging from latch issues to low supply (and considering how exhausting and labour-intensive nursing can be, even under the best of circumstances), the answer to that question is quite a bit more complicated than breastfeeding advocates are willing to acknowledge.
Prof. Senanayake acknowledged that of course, breastfeeding is no easy feat, but suggests that the mother seek professional help if she is having problems with feeding. “They could see a child specialist, and many larger hospitals have lactation management centres that are operational 24 hours a day; so professional help is always available to mothers who are struggling,” he stated.
Noting the lack of spaces in public to safely breastfeed, Prof. Senanayake stated that while there has been an improvement over time, we still have a long way to go in making breastfeeding in public safe and accessible without the stigma many women have to face. Listing some of the advantages we have in Sri Lanka, he stated that currently, maternity leave has increased to 84 working days and women also have the opportunity to take days off for breastfeeding – both no pay and half pay.
“We still need to be more proactive; some hospitals don’t even have facilities for breastfeeding, so these need to be improved soon,” he stated, noting that public spaces, too, hardly provide facilities for mothers.
Women should feel comfortable feeding their babies, however and whenever they like. While there are health benefits to breastfeeding, as Prof. Senanayake suggested, women should always look into the services available to make their breastfeeding journey as accessible as possible.
