Mothers and their children attends a World Breastfeeding Day event in Dumai, Riau on Aug 1, 2024, where doctors with the Dumai Regional General Hospital and officials of the Dumai Women and Children Protection Agency give information about stunting prevention and provide free medical checkups for mothers. – Antara/The Jakarta Post
JAKARTA: While breastfeeding is considered the healthiest option for both mothers and babies as it can reduce the risk of various illnesses, many mothers in Indonesia still face tough challenges and a lack of support to exclusively breastfeed their children.
Monalisa, an office worker from South Tangerang in Banten, recalled her battle to nurse her son after giving birth in 2020 because of the baby’s difficulty latching, leading to a breast milk oversupply. "I produced too much breast milk, yet my baby struggled to drink it.
As a result, my breasts became engorged, firm and painful and I suffered multiple fevers," Monalisa said on Wednesday (Aug 7), adding that she later developed nipple fissures and blisters which made her breastfeeding experience extremely horrifying.
"I was so afraid and traumatised every time I had to nurse my son. I got so little rest because he was hungry all the time. I also cried every time I breastfed my baby because of the pain and exhaustion”.
Instead of getting the support she needed during the critical moment, some of Monalisa’s relatives advised her to give the new born baby formula. But she had an unwavering intention to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of the baby’s life.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the move is recommended to achieve optimal growth, development and health.
After seeing multiple healthcare professionals–including a lactation counsellor who was hard to find even in the Greater Jakarta area–and undergoing a medical procedure, the 37-year-old managed to overcome her breastfeeding issues and avoid the use of formula which uses added ingredients that are not without risks.
Previous reports revealed that companies added sugar to infant formula in developing and poorer countries including Indonesia, which is contrary to international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases in children.
Meanwhile, the WHO noted that breast milk contains antibodies that help protect against many common childhood illnesses, such as diarrhoea and respiratory diseases.
Breastfed children also perform better on intelligence tests and are less likely to be overweight later in life.
Monalisa highlighted that her eventual success in breastfeeding her son was due to the fact that she educated herself well, including by attending workshops and reading books.
"Many women do not have the same resources as I do to educate themselves on the benefits of nursing. On the other hand, many doctors promote infant formula or easily advise mothers to give their kids formula when they complain about breastfeeding challenges," she explained.
Another WHO report revealed that optimal breastfeeding practices could save the lives of over 820,000 children under five every year and prevent 20,000 cases of breast cancer in women annually.
Indonesia has seen a surge in exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of a child’s life, from 52 per cent in 2017 to 68 per cent in 2023.
Despite the improvement, significant challenges remain in the newborn stage; only 27 per cent of newborns in the country receive breast milk in the first hour of their lives and only 14 percent experience skin-to-skin contact for at least one hour immediately after birth.
Early initiation of breastfeeding can reduce the risk of neonatal mortality in the first week of life by 22 per cent and help establish long-term breastfeeding.
Robiah Anitasari, a 30-year-old housewife from Boyolali, Central Java, said that healthcare workers failed to perform early initiation of breastfeeding after the deliveries of both of her children in 2021 and 2024.
To make matters worse, medical workers instead gave her baby formula products when she left the hospital. "They said I did not have to use the products, but I think the hospital was sponsored by a baby formula company," she said.
An investigation by Kompas daily in 2022 revealed that scores of health workers are involved in the marketing of the baby formula.
Those with large social media followings are actively promoting such products on their platforms.
To boost the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the country, the government recently issued a regulation to ban health workers, influencers and public figures from promoting or informing the public about baby formula.
The policy is stipulated in Article 33 of Government Regulation (PP) No. 28/2024, which was issued on July 26 as the implementing regulation for the Health Law passed last year. In June, lawmakers also passed a maternal and child welfare (KIA) law which among its provisions allows working mothers to take maternity leave for up to six months to support exclusive breastfeeding.
Maniza Zaman, Indonesia’s Representative at the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), said last week that mothers need adequate support, time and space to breastfeed successfully after giving birth.
“For mothers to practice early and exclusive breastfeeding, they need to be fully supported by families, health workers, community members and leaders, from the moment the child is born,” she said in a statement. – The Jakarta Post
