Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 5: Continuing with its efforts to promote breastfeeding, Nestle India has launched a series of initiatives coinciding with the ‘World Breastfeeding Week’. These initiatives will provide impetus and will drive further awareness and create a supportive environment that enables mothers to breastfeed for longer.
Binu Jacob, General Manager, Nutrition, Nestle India, said, “Continuing to breastfeed for optimal period is not easy for new mothers as she is expected to take care of household responsibilities as well as the babies’ needs. Some mothers also have the additional pressure to get back to employment. It has been found that by the time the baby is 6 months old, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding drops to less than 30%.”
He said that Nestle is focusing on the theme ‘Breastfeeding isn’t just a mother’s responsibility’ to trigger and facilitate change in the mother’s support. Jacob said there is a need to create behavioural change within immediate family members and the communities to provide support system for new mothers.
Jacob said we have launched an awareness campaign reaching out to fathers, grandmothers and employers on how their support can help the mother to sustain breastfeeding for longer.
Besides, Nestle has pledged to install 500 lactation booths across the country to facilitate public breastfeeding, as new mothers frequently visit pediatricians’ clinics and often have to wait for long durations without a proper place to breastfeed.
Nestle India together with MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, a Delhi based NGO, have rolled out the Swasth Jananee, Swasth Shishu program to educate and encourage communities to support breastfeeding.
Apart from this, Nestle has announced a new Maternity Protection Policy last month, which gives a choice to extend maternity leave upto half a year and includes employment protection, flexible working arrangements and access to breastfeeding rooms during working.
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