An overly critical approach to infant formula will not improve South Africa’s breastfeeding rates if mother are not helped in systemic ways
: “Our office is open with zero facilities for me to pump and store my milk. After being on maternity leave, I didn’t feel I had the right to ask for any more accommodations from my boss or team members. It was clear people thought it was a luxury holiday. After two weeks of only being able to breastfeed in the nights and early mornings, my supply dropped and I felt defeated. I feel a lot of guilt that I didn’t try harder to put my daughter before my boss.
If you are in a household in which you are made to feel shame every time you breastfeed, and are urged to cover up or made to question your body’s ability to create sufficient supply for your baby, this will affect the trajectory of your breastfeeding experience. A relationship with a partner who insists that she gives up breastfeeding in order to resume sexual activity, will increase the likelihood of a mother introducing infant formula.
Furthermore, it is crucial that in the South African context, where we have very high rates of sexual and gender-based violence, we acknowledge the role that trauma can play in complicating breastfeeding. Many survivors of sexual abuse find the experience of pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as the loss of control and autonomy over one’s body, traumatic and triggering.
, which is central to establishing early supply of colostrum and breastmilk. Births in which mothers experience a lack of support or appropriate care, complicate the postnatal period and lead to significant challenges with breastfeeding.that mothers are aware that breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for infants. There is plenty of focus on driving that message home in public health messaging.
By focussing only on formula, we fail to notice that mothers have received the message “breast is best” loud and clear. They are the choir, not the enemy. What is missing is adequate follow-up support and encouragement. One of the reasons the WHO and our departments of health
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Visible and invisible violence in present day South Africa - The Mail & GuardianCOMMENT: Systemic violence can be defined as the systematic ways in which social structures harm or otherwise disadvantage individuals. This kind of structural violation is subtle, often invisible, and no one specific person can be held responsible for it.
Read more »
South Africans cut expenses, develop side hustles to survive tough timesSouth Africans are cutting costs to stretch their money in tough economic times.
Read more »
South Africans cut expenses, develop side hustles to survive tough timesSwitching to cheaper supermarket brands, cutting gym memberships and opting for cheaper data and cellphones is how some people are trying to stretch their money in tough economic times, mostly due to the Covid-19 pandemic in SA.
Read more »
Predictions about South Africa have been proven wrongHere we are after further battering. Still standing. Resilient. Strong.
Read more »
WOMEN’S MONTH: A female perspective on running workshops in South Africa“I find women have a different touch and deal more empathetically when it comes to serving customers, maintaining them, and offering peace of mind,' says Andrea Bogner, owner of Bogner Motor City Truck and Car Workshop.
Read more »
In South Africa, only 5% of chief executives are women - The Mail & GuardianOnly 5% of chief executives are women and the gender pay gap is most pronounced in the top JSE-listed companies, according to a PwC report released on Thursday.
Read more »