If you listened to the brouhaha Hong Kong makes over milk formula smuggling, you’d think that no mothers breastfed their newborns. But breast is best (if the mother has the ability and resources to do so), and Hong Kong mums often try and fail to breastfeed, something that UNICEF at least partially attributes to lack of social support.
According to a new survey released by the UN organisation, out of the 83 percent of Hong Kong mothers who breastfeed in public, 40 percent have had complaints or unpleasant experiences.
A whopping 90 percent of respondents who have had negative experiences said they’ve been stared at, with 30 percent saying they’ve been told to breastfeed elsewhere (like at toilets, which as we all know are always comfortable and hygienic).
The survey looked at 3,545 respondents, whose answers were collected via an online questionnaire last month.
UNICEF recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed until they are six months of age, followed by a combination of breastfeeding and solid food until they are two years old. According 2014 data, 86 percent of mothers had begun to breastfeed before they were discharged from hospital after giving birth, a drastic increase from only 20 percent in 1992. But by the time those babies had turned six months old, only 24 percent of them were still being breastfed.
The survey also found that 77 percent of mothers who have never breastfed in public before would actually like to do so. The three biggest reasons they don’t is because they’re afraid of embarassing their friends and family, they want to protect their privacy, or they’re afraid the general public won’t accept them.
The problems also stretch to the workplace. As the SCMP reports, a Department of Health survey conducted in 2015 revealed that only 18.6 percent of the 2000 people interviewed said their workplace offered breastfeeding-friendly policies.
With how much time Hongkongers spend inside malls, UNICEF has made shopping centres their latest target to create breastfeeding-friendly environments for nursing mothers.
In conjunction with the government, UNICEF launched a “Breastfeeding Friendly Mall” initiative last week, as part of their ongoing “Say Yes to Breastfeeding” campaign, with Elements in West Kowloon becoming the first mall to support it.
Breastfeeding mothers are well supported at malls when they “welcome mothers to breastfeed anywhere anytime, and the staff are willing to provide assistance when necessary”, said UNICEF HK Chairperson Judy Chen.
Let’s hope Hongkongers grow up and embrace breastfeeding as a natural, necessary and beautiful part of human existence.
Related articles:
Dozens of mums stage breastfeeding flash mob at Tai Wai MTR
44% of surveyed Hong Kong employers say they wouldn’t hire pregnant women
Reader Interactions