Infant nutrition is one of the most important determinants of the health of children, with breastfeeding being the recommended primary source of nutrition for infants. However, juggling job and family prevents working mothers from nursing their infants exclusively.
Victoria Falls: Marvelous Nkomo (31) of the Mkhosana Suburb in Victoria Falls gets up early to express milk into the bottles her child would drink during the day while she is away. Because it demands hygiene and takes time, this is not an easy process. Without options she has to endure.
Freshly expressed milk should be taken by a baby within 24 hours, according to World Health Organisations (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recommendations. It is recommended to store the milk in the refrigerator’s rear, where the temperature is most consistent.
Health experts advise mothers to nurse their new-borns as soon as possible after giving birth. By doing this, the milk supply will be established early. It is believed that providing additional formula feeds will lessen the infant’s likelihood of sucking at the breast and will also lessen the breast’s stimulation, which will diminish the amount of milk produced.
“Frozen breast milk will preserve longer if it is not utilised within 24 hours. It is more sensible to freeze little amounts at a time to prevent waste or repetitive freezing and thawing,”Nutritionist Chipo Murangwani stated, “expressed breast milk can be kept at room temperature for around eight hours in the absence of a refrigerator.”
Zimbabwean moms who work in government are fortunate to receive significant maternity leave from the government. Maternity leave, which is equivalent to three months of paid time off, can be used concurrently with yearly leave, another three months on full salary. This allows the mother to nurture her unborn child and strengthen their bond.
Nkomo, like with thousands of other working moms working in small to medium enterprises, lacks this option at work and must either save their milk or use pricey formula milk, which increases the likelihood that their children would be weaned off earlier than usual.
In Zimbabwe, not many private sector businesses have supportive policies regarding breastfeeding.
It is not always easy to strike a balance between work and family. It can be somewhat daunting for nursing moms to go back to work after giving birth. The difficulty that working moms have juggling their paid jobs and nursing increases the likelihood that they will stop breastfeeding early, and that they will stop breastfeeding exclusively.
“I was only allowed to work for two months; during the first two weeks, I gave birth, and I had the remaining month and a half to nurse my baby. I had to return to work in no time. Since then, I’ve had to laboriously preserve milk, and at nine months, I weaned her off,” Nkomo explained.
WHO recommends that infants are exclusively breastfed for at least 6 months, before a mixture of breastfeeding and other solid foods.
“To put it another way, during the first six months of life, infants are exclusively fed breast milk from their mothers, a wet nurse, or expressed breast milk; they are not given any other liquids or solids, except for oral rehydration solution, drops, or syrups containing vitamins, minerals, supplements, or medications,” the World Health Organization stated.
Murangwani said for working mothers, one factor which often discourages them from breastfeeding or giving up once they return to work is how to balance breastfeeding with their tightworking schedules.
She hinted, “To others who will be on maternity leave, expressing breast milk, weaning from the breast, and preparing the caregiver should start at least two weeks before you return to work. The good news is that you can still continue with breastfeeding with adequate preparation and adjustment.”
During interviews with over a dozen working mothers, this publication discovered that an inflexible work schedule is a major factor in the early termination of breastfeeding among working women. The poor uptake of exclusive breastfeeding has also been linked to a number of other problems, including an early return to work, a brief maternity leave, a lack of privacy, feelings of being watched and scrutinized, exhaustion, and a lack of support at work.
According to WHO, globally, less than 40% of infants under 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed. Of babies under six months old, 36% are exclusively breastfed in developing nations, according to statistics. But among professional working mothers in developing nations, exclusive breastfeeding is far less common.
UNICEF and WHO has made several calls on governments and employers to put in place family-friendly policies that provide mothers with the time, space and support they need to breastfeed.
In a statement to commemorate the 2024 Breastfeeding Week,UNICEF advised working mothers that they may adopt either total or partial breastfeeding after they have returned to work.
“If you want to do total breastfeeding, you should express your milk during breaks at work. You then give it to your baby the next day when you are not at home. Meanwhile, continue with direct breastfeeding when you are with your baby.”
Working women might not have time to express their milk due to unforeseen events. This could result in an accumulation of milk and a painful, rigid breast. Experts say this can be prevented by allowing oneself to have a quick five-minute expression.
The first week of August is designated as Breastfeeding Week each year. The theme for 2024 is Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all.
