Create conducive office space for breastfeeding mothers

 For nursing women who want to nurse their newborns entire­ly after returning from their three-month maternity leave, a lack of work space presents a signif­icant obstacle.

Therefore, it is excellent to designate a private, convenient and comfortable space where mothers can nurse their babies when they go back to work.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) advised breastfeeding to continue for up to two years after the first six months of life, supple­mented with the right complemen­tary foods.

When they return to work after maternity leave, many working mothers find it challenging to follow the WHO’s advice. Because of this, some working mothers are forced to start feeding their infants formula in feeding bottles at a young age, contrary to WHO’s directive.

The infant is at a significant risk of contracting an infection as a result of the unclean handling and preparation of the baby formula.

As the mothers return to work earlier to be involved in their oc­cupations that provide them with revenue at the end of the month, it becomes harder for them to contin­ue breastfeeding their newborns.

According to experts, breast­feeding benefits both the mother and the child since it provides all the essential nutrients in the right amounts, lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes, and guards against allergies, illness, and obesity among others.

The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), which was held this year from August 1 to August 7 with the theme, “Making Impact with Work­ing Parents,” urges for immediate action to support working moth­ers who want to breastfeed their babies.

The purpose of the annual event is to raise awareness of the value of nursing, support and promote breastfeeding, and enhance both the mother and baby’s health.

According to the WHO’s di­rective, this year’s theme was “breastfeeding and work.” This gave advocates a strategic chance to promote crucial maternity rights that support breastfeeding, such as maternity leave that lasts at least 18 weeks and ideally longer than six months, as well as workplace accommodations after this time.

For women to be able to breast­feed for as long as they would like to, these are significant challenges. According to the WHO, more than half a billion working mothers do not receive the most basic materni­ty benefits, and many more are left alone when they return to work.

There have been proposals to extend maternity leave from three to six months, but there is concern that this could cause serious issues for women because some employers might not think it necessary to hire young women out of concern that their time spent at home while on paid maternity leave will be too long.

However, studies have shown that infants who were exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life and who were fed foods with the proper balance of nutrients from six months to two years of age have a higher chance of surviving, performing better in school, and being more productive throughout their lives.

The Spectator thinks that all employers should prioritise provid­ing nursing mothers with a com­fortable work environment because doing so will be good for both the mother and the child as well as the overall business.

Mothers who continue nursing after going back to work must therefore have the support of their employers. Employers have a lot of power to foster a culture that values breastfeeding mothers.

Until the child is roughly six months old, mothers who are returning to work should be permit­ted to bring their infants along with a babysitter to work. The mother will be better able to concentrate on her work, feel less stressed, and perform better at work as a result.

To ensure that breastfeeding is feasible for all working mothers and to support this year’s campaign theme, “Let’s make breastfeeding and work, work!” the government must mandate that companies provide nursing mothers with office space.