Although I wasn't strictly following a no-formula-milk plan, I did have to rely on a particular soy-based brand for those few occasions when my milk supply wasn't enough.
I believe this exercise in BF provided several good outcomes to both me and my son. But one of the most noticeable benefits is that over the past two years, he rarely got sick, and even when he did, it was only for one day and one night at the most. I, too, haven't visited the doctor much since I gave birth to Musa. We both were blessed with good health during this period. My husband, too, has been the beneficiary of much appreciation and gratitude from me, for his constant support, understanding and encouragement.
Due to my experiment in BF, of course, I'm very much interested in the experience of others who have also chosen this path. My research brought me to this great website.
WABA goes to great lengths to ensure that women who BF are protected of their rights. And in their minds, women have the right to BF. It's just that Governments, society, employers, etc. see maternity protection at the workplace -- extended maternity leave, childcare days, breastfeeding breaks, flexible work options -- as a costly burden to them.
In a 2005 speech by our Women's Minister (Shahrizat at the time), she said that her Ministry had conducted a study and found that by just extending maternity leave from the current 60 to 90 days would incur a cost of RM2.7 billion to employers. I was disappointed when she continued by saying, "While the Ministry believe wholeheartedly on the importance of the bonding and nurturing of mothers and newborn babies, we have also to bear in mind that the contribution of women in the labour market is indispensable. Therefore any recommendations to the Government should take into consideration attractive terms for both employers and employees." With those words, she just crumbled down every single effort that her Ministry had previously made in promoting women's maternity benefits, it seems to me.
I think a working mom's contribution to the labour market cannot only be seen by her active participation or early re-entry into the workforce. You've got to consider also that she is nurturing the country's future labour market -- and if she is breastfeeding her infant, she is actually taking steps to ensure that the future workforce is populated by healthy men and women. Isn't that the basis for our 1Malaysia brand and its tagline of "People First, Performance Now"? I mean, how can we perform and be productive if we are not healthy and companies have to face huge absenteeism numbers every day?
Anyway, back to WABA, they've got this great table with a comparative listing of the maternity benefits offered by some 176 countries worldwide. Please click on the image below or the link above.
Not surprisingly, Malaysia is among the several countries offering maternity benefits in the lower brackets -- only about 8.5 weeks (60 days) of paid maternity leave, compared to our nearest island neighbour which provides 16 weeks off to their female staff. At the other end of the scale, we have Norway offering more than 26 weeks of maternity leave paid for by the Government, and fathers entitled to 4 weeks of that.
And studying the chart jolted me into realising that there is such a thing as breastfeeding breaks -- which employers also pay for in most countries! In fact, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, are some of our nearest neighbours that offer these initiatives to their female staff.
In Malaysia, well, from my experience, at least, I felt like I had to sneak around at work feeling guilty about taking a BF break to express some milk. However, a thick skin and understanding and supportive supervisor and colleagues made my BF adventures in the office bearable, if not, amusing at times!
Well, I've nearly come to the end of my BF journey...after 2 years, we'll see how it goes. I'm inclined to baby-led weaning actually...but again, we'll see.More helpful resources on breastfeeding in Malaysia:
SusuIbu.com
http://www.breastfeeding.com/
http://www.susuanibu-pk.gov.my/
Something on the Women's Summit which advocates Work-Life Balance for working moms -- a great website and if you trawl it, you'll come to know of some of Malaysia's best employers offering family-friendly work policies to working moms, i.e. extended maternity leave, flexible working options, etc. -- Digi, Accenture, Shell Malaysia.
