Helping poor
mums feed their babies
27 May 2019
PETALING JAYA: Housewife Putri Nurafinah Asma Putera
has just been widowed recently.
The pregnant mother of a two-year-old child has no
money, what more the strength, to soldier on when the baby arrives in
September.
The health of her baby is not actually her priority
at the moment as she is struggling to make ends meet after her husband died in
a road accident a few months ago.
But thanks to a project called “Mother’s Milk for
Underprivileged Babies”, Putri will be able to secure RM100 a month for three
months to focus on breastfeeding her baby.
The idea for the project by Arba Foundation came about
following a United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) report on Malaysia which
stated that there was evidence of stunting and malnutrition among children from
the urban poor, especially those in low-cost flats.
For the pilot project, 500 newborns from the urban
poor have been selected to be breastfed completely by their mothers for the
first three months to boost their health.
The Unicef report titled “Children Without” stated
malnourishment was a major concern in Malaysia with one in five children under
five years old being stunted, and one in 10 being underweight.
The project will budget RM500 per pair of mother and
newborn with RM200 to be used to pay the lactation counsellor.
As of now, Arba Foundation has managed to collect
enough funds for 424 babies for the three-month project which will begin in
July.
For
Putri, 25, the project allowance is a great deal to her.
Currently
living on her own in Bukit Putera Mahkota, she fears that without the help, she
may not have the emotional strength to breastfeed her second child when she
gives birth in three months’ time.
A
graduate of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Putri is not working as she had
depended on her late husband for financial support.
She
now earns about RM1,000 monthly by selling cookies online and uses the Socso
allowances to pay for the rent.
Another
pregnant mother in the Sri Pantai low-cost flats said not many in her housing
area get proper confinement care after delivery.
“Many
of us do not know what nutrition is needed when we deliver and how to ensure
we have enough milk to breastfeed.
“Then
there are the constant depressing issues which affect us such as how to feed
another mouth,” said the 26-year-old who cannot afford the time or money to go
for routine check-ups.
Another
project candidate, a seven months pregnant mother, said she was happy as
the few hundred ringgit would make a lot of difference when she gives birth.
“We
earn less than RM2,000 and if this is what it takes to get RM300 and if it is
good for the baby and me, I am open to the idea.
“I
gave formula and breastfed during my confinement for my older ones, but I would
like to try to breastfeed fully but I am worried if I could continue when I go
back to work, especially during night shifts,” said the mother of three, who
works in a factory in Shah Alam.
Lactation
counsellor Suriati Shamsuddin, who is with lactation NGO Bidan.my, said
although one might think it was logical for B40 mothers to breastfeed, “the
reality is there are many hurdles when the mothers have to deal with pressures
of life”.
“Most
of their problems have to do with no support, either from husbands or
employers. Factories may not provide the time or place to express and store
their milk during working hours.
“Many
also don’t know the benefits of breastfeeding and tend to think expensive
formula is better.
“They
also need to be told that breastfeeding is not as complicated as it sounds,” said
Suriati.
Related story:
..
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.