MPP chief: Provide breastfeeding rooms

Leelajini (sitting third left), Lo (third right) with organising committee members and sponsors during the press conference.

 

KUCHING: If there are smoking zones and smoking rooms provided in public establishments and offices, why not provide breastfeeding rooms for nursing mothers?

This will give convenience to nursing mothers and encourage breast feeding as breast milk meets a baby’s complete nutritional requirements.

“I really encourage public places like shopping malls and libraries, and even offices and government departments to set up a breastfeeding zone or room for lactating mothers.

“We are also considering setting up a breastfeeding room which will be proposed in our next council meeting,” said Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman Lo Khere Chiang at a press conference yesterday.

He said he was glad that a local company ‘Mummycare’ had taken the initiative to provide a comfortable and cosy breastfeeding room and hoped other shops would emulate the firm.

In order to raise awareness and encourage breastfeeding, the council, Persatuan Sosial dan Kebajikan Penyayang Kuching and UiTM Sarawak’s Feminis Club will jointly hold an event to promote fitness and importance of breastfeeding at the Kota Sentosa Town Square at 8am on Dec 6.

The event, called ‘Let’s get fit, let’s breast feed’ is aimed at the public from all walks of life.

“We are glad that the sponsors for this event are Mummycare, Drypers and Julie’s. It is also supported by Kuching Health Office, who will prepare booths and brochures to equip the public with benefits of breastfeeding,” he said.

Advisor to Feminis Club Leelajini J Paranjothy who was present said the event is also furnished with a 70-minute Zumba exercise, which the public can join in.

“We hope to encourage the public to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Steal time to work out and it will increase productivity, whereas at the same time, we implore employers to be more considerate towards nursing mothers by providing better policies and environment to facilitate this kind of needs,” she said.

Leelajini, who is also the chairperson for the event, said a 2012 Unicef press release reported about the 2008 Lancet Nutrition Series that highlighted the fact that a non-breastfed baby is 14 times more likely to die in the first six months than an exclusively breastfed child.

December 5, 2014, Friday

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