Fatimah (seated second right) giving the thumbs up with Christina and Cheah (seated right) during a group photo with NIP NIP 3.0 participants.
KUCHING: Women should feel encouraged to breastfeed their babies in public without feeling self conscious and embarrassed.
Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said there was a need to break down this barrier because breastfeeding was a natural thing to do.
“We have to break down this stigma, where the public frown upon mothers who breastfeed their babies in public. To some of these people, breastfeeding is something that should not be done in public because they regard that part of our body as private,” she said when officiating at the 3rd Nurse in Public, Nurse in Peace (NIP NIP 3.0), and Malaysian Big Latch Sarawak 2016 event at Plaza Merdeka here yesterday.
“But what we are doing here is not to show that part of our body for sexual reasons but mainly to do what is normal for us. As mothers, we are breastfeeding our babies when it is time to feed them.” She pointed out that there were also other aspects about breastfeeding that should be emphasised to the public, apart from the nutrition of mother’s milk.
“Breastfeeding is the best part in life for our babies as it gives them a head start in life. Bonding is also a very important part of parenting, and that’s what you are doing through breastfeeding.”
On NIP NIP 3.0, Fatimah said the gathering of mothers along with their babies would allow them to make a very important statement on breastfeeding in public.
“We want to create not only ripples but waves that will have a long lasting impact on the public that breastfeeding is something normal and the most natural thing to do,” she emphasised, adding that apart from Kuching, she would also be carrying out the advocacy for breastfeeding in other divisions in the state, such as Sri Aman and Sarikei.
Meanwhile, NIP NIP 3.0 and Malaysian Big Latch Sarawak 2016 coordinator Christina Anthony said when the event started in 2013, it was participated by 28 mothers and babies.
“Over the years, we can see the increase in the number of participants as word got out about our event. This year, we were approached by The Breastfeeding Advocates Network (TBAN) to join them and other breastfeeding support groups in a bid to create a record for the ‘Largest Group for Simultaneous Breastfeeding Nationwide’ in the Malaysia Book of Records,” she said.
“This is a great way for us to promote breastfeeding and raise awareness among the society that breastfeeding should be a norm and that nursing a baby or child in public is nothing to be frowned upon. Society should and must support mothers to nurse their child in public.”
Yesterday, around 100 mothers here breastfed their babies and toddlers simultaneously with other mothers in Selangor, Penang and Johor Bahru in a joint attempt to break the Malaysia Book of Records.
It was not announced whether the record attempt was successful or how many mothers were involved in all four states.
The event was hosted by Sarawak Breastfeeding Support Group (KUSSIS), TBAN, anggugu.com, susuibu.com, and Mother-to-Mother Peer Support Group Penang (MMPS). Also present was Merdeka Plaza general manager Cheah Kheng Mun.