Author: Dr Stellah Bosire
Date: 8th August 2023
Maria is the mother of a newborn, her second child. Despite her excitement over the new bundle of joy, Maria is worried that she may not be able to exclusively breastfeed her second baby, just like her first child, for whom she had to discontinue breastfeeding at month three. She recalls how her first child struggled with diarrhoea and vomiting due to premature weaning, and she expressed that she did not want her second child to suffer in the same way.
Maria’s worry is not an uncommon one. Due to their lack of economic power, many women find it difficult to breastfeed exclusively. The best way to feed an infant is generally agreed to be breastfeeding because it offers both mother and child several short- and long-term health advantages. The first six months of an infant’s life should be spent solely on nursing, according to the World Health Organization. Not many mothers enjoy the luxury of breastfeeding exclusively, just like Maria.
A lack of economic empowerment among women can make it difficult for them to obtain healthy food for themselves, which ultimately reduces their capacity to produce enough breast milk. Financial limitations may make it difficult for a woman to maintain a well-balanced diet. Proper nutrition is essential to ensuring the quantity and quality of breast milk. Exclusive breastfeeding is challenging due to the high cost of nutrient-dense food, supplements, and breastfeeding aids, as well as the instability of income.
Many women in low-income countries do not have workplace support to support exclusive breastfeeding, anchored in leave policies and maternity leaves. These women, faced with few options, are often forced to resume work obligations, making it very difficult for them to exclusively breastfeed. Supportive workplace policies, designated lactation rooms, breastfeeding, or expressing breaks continue to be far-fetched dreams for many women.
Limited financial resources impede women who are economically disempowered from seeking health care services when faced with the challenges of breastfeeding, especially within the first month of breastfeeding. For these women, additional resources would mean access to lactation consultants, access to information, and dedication that would be beneficial to themselves and their infants.
Gender roles within households and communities also disrupt breastfeeding. Societal norms that are rigidly defined often burden women with household responsibilities, making it difficult for them to have adequate time for privacy and breastfeeding. The economic disenfranchisement of women frequently makes these distorted gender roles worse, highlighting the difficulties. Without supportive families and societal structures, Women are unable to establish and maintain healthy nursing habits.
Indeed, economic inequity makes it difficult for women to practice exclusive breastfeeding. To foster a supportive environment that enables all women to exclusively breastfeed, it is imperative to acknowledge and address these barriers. Societies can guarantee that every woman has the right to exclusively breastfeed her infants by empowering women economically, enacting comprehensive policies, creating opportunities for women to have economic freedom, improved educational opportunities, access to healthcare, and promoting gender policies.
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