I REFER to Monday's letter, "Penalised for trying to be a good
mum and teacher", by Mr Lim Kim Siang.
I empathise with the work situation of the writer's daughter. I
believe it is not unique as we have heard from many mothers through
our counselling helpline about the lack of facilities for them to
express their milk in order to continue to offer the best nutrition
for their infants.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that an infant be
breastfed exclusively for a minimum of six months and thereafter,
to be offered complementary foods for two years and beyond. The
benefits of breast milk for an infant are unparalleled and
obviously many mothers want the best start for their children.
However, what Mr Lim's daughter went through is not an uncommon
tale at the Breastfeeding Mothers' Support Group. Many mothers
share about having to express their milk in the toilet, server room
or storeroom. Some employees feel the ire of their employers
because of the time taken to do so. Yet, with the right support, a
nursing mum needs only 20 minutes to pump her milk at work once or
twice a day. Often the amount of overtime compensates for this time
taken.
As Ms Ho Ching exhorted during her World Breastfeeding Week 2009
address, employers can do more to encourage a breastfeeding mother
to remain productive. Breastfed infants have been shown to be less
prone to diseases and infections, or recover more quickly, and
mothers are less likely to take days off to take care of a sick
child. The very provision of a small and equipped nursing room
allows mums to express their milk quickly and get back to work.
When a breastfeeding mother is content at work, she is able to
contribute more positively and productively, and with less stress.
Mothers should not be made to feel penalised because they want to
offer the best for their infants for at least the first six months
of their lives.
A few employers have set the right direction by providing "pink
rooms", or nursing rooms, for their employees (for example, Temasek
Group and the Health Promotion Board) and we believe these
employers have seen the benefits and rewards of doing so. We hope
that more employers will realise that breastfeeding mothers are
equally capable of producing milk and good work.
Angeline Wee-Yew (Mrs)
President
Breastfeeding Mothers' Support Group
