Handling EBM during Blackout (Power Failure)

Assalamualaikum..
In my 18 months of breastfeeding / breastmilk feeding, there has been 2 episodes of which there was electricity power failure.

1st time it happened last year, when my baby was about 10 months and deep freezer was full with EBM.
I was at work that afternoon when my helper called from home telling me that there was a power failure. First thing crossed my mind was that kids are surely going to be uncomfortable and was worried about my EBM. I called TNB and was told that it was a major discruption and should be fine within roughly 6 hours.
Called hubby and asked him about what I should do about my EBM  and he said it should be fine and would not melt in deep freezer within 6 hours provided we didn't keep opening and closing it as it would disturb the temperature if we did so.

Being super worried about the 1000++ EBM I had in my deep freezer and worked so hard to pump and collect it, I went home to `rescue' the EBM. I was a panicked as it is the first time such thing happened. I bought some ice from 7-eleven on the way home.

 At home, I took out the EBM from deep freezer and arranged it alternating with ice in large plastics. I sprinkled some salt as it is supposed to slow down the process of ice melting and help retain coolness.

Then, I placed the EBM into picnic cooler box like the ones in the picture. (Being paranoid me, I thought of blackout and what I would do to rescue EBM, and bought few of these as standby  months ago).

 

Anyway, ironically, after nicely arranging the EBM in plastics with ice in cooler boxes, the electricity came back (just after 2 hours of being off)!!! Should have left the EBM in deep freezer right? *Sigh* Hubby was right!

So second time around, went the power went off, I just kept calm knowing that I have cooler boxes and ice to `rescue' the EBM if the power went off more that 6 hours. I left the EBM in deep freezer without opening it, and 5 hours later, the electricity came back. I checked my EBM and it was just as good and no signs of melting, Alhamdulillah.

Hope this was helpful..

Gaining Knowledge & Confidence in Breastfeeding

Greetings Mummies..

During my previous two pregnancies, I never had any engorgement or breastmilk leaking. Nor did I ever truly believed that I would succeed breastfeeding. That is why I was even not bothered to gain knowledge about breastfeeding during my first pregnancy. Despite being a final year medical student at that time, I simply thought breastfeeding was as simple as placing baby to breast and baby drinks and all is happy :-)
Little did I know that it takes a lot of learning and preparation. Hence I only managed to breastfeed my eldest for 2 months.

The dissapointment of not being able to breastfeed my 1st child for long haunted me. My confidence was crushed. Then 3 years later, Alhamdulillah, I conceived my second child. Yes, I was more prepared this time. Gained more knowledge and prepared breastfeeding equipments. But when the time came to actually breastfed her, I was challenged since she had difficulty latching (she had tongue tie which was only detected when she was few months old). Hence, my milk supply dropped until it was totally dried out. Alhamdulillah, I managed to regain full supply via pumping exclusively and once in a while my daughter latches. I managed to provide her breastmilk fully until the age of 2 years and 3 months. At the same time, I even had some extra milk and became a milk mother of two beautiful children, Subhanallah.

Just after 1 month of stopping nursing my second child, my milk dried up and I conceived for the 3rd time, Alhamdulillah.
At 22 weeks gestation, I felt discomfort and fullness. I tried expressing and Subhanallah, to my surprise, manage to get the amount of milk (as in the picture)!

It shows that breastfeeding is all about having FAITH, CONFIDENCE &KNOWLEDGE that you can breastfeed! I regained confidence after providing my second child breastmilk for quite a long time. Therefore, Alhamdulillah this time around, just at 22weeks gestation, milk already came in!!

Of course, this also shows "rezeki" @ sustainance for offspring is already provided by our Creator even when the fetus is in the womb, MashaAllah!

So moral of the story Mummies, is FAITH, CONFIDENCE & KNOWLEDGE!

Breastfeeding During Confinement

Assalamualaikum :-)

It's been a while since I've blogged. Feel so good to be able to write in this entry..Yes, I am exhausted & sleep-deprived from taking care of my newborn who is now 6 weeks already, Alhamdulillah. And yes, on top of that, looking over my 2 elder children who are at schooling age. But I have been really wanting to write this entry and here is why..
I REALLY WANT OTHER MUMMIES NOT TO GO THROUGH WHAT I HAVE WENT THROUGH& HOPE THAT THEY HAVE A SMOOTH START TOWARDS SUCCESSFUL BREASTFEEDING.

Hopefully this humble entry of mine might somewhat trigger & inspire mummies to search for more knowledge!

Eversince I was pregnant with my first child while still in final year medical school, I wanted to fully breastfeed my baby. But on certain circumstances, I only managed to breastfeed her until confinement ended (that too, not fully breastfed but mixed with formula occasionally).
With my second child, even though I was more prepared, history seemed to repeat itself. I only managed to breastfeed her until confinement ended, and that too, mixed with formula. Yes, I was in utmost despair when my milk totally dried up and she was fully on formula at 6 weeks old. I began relactating when she was 12 weeks old & Alhamdulillah 3 months later, she was fully drinking breastmilk again until she was 2 years and 3 months old!

So I noticed from my past 2 experience that the confinement period is such a "crucial" phase to ensure that breastfeeding and bonding is established. Alhamdulillah, I think I got the hang of it this time around :-)
Took me 3 children to learn the odds of breastfeeding! Haha! But guess what, it is so rewarding to be able to fully breastfeed my son who is 44 days old now. Watching those hair and nails grow with only breastmilk, MashaAllah..!

Anyways, to recap, I had a waterbirth at hospital with my son this time around. Below is the link to my gentle birth story:
http://birthandbeyondbiz.blogspot.my/2014/12/blissful-water-birth-of-our-son.html


Soon after birth, I held him on my chest and we had 2 hours of skin to skin contact. I propped up and left him crawling on my chest to latch by himself. It's called the "breast crawl", I think :-) Alhamdulillah, he was such a champ, following his natural instincts and succeeding in latching. Such a blissful moment, I felt so rejuvenated & empowered after birth..!

I was discharged on 2nd day after delivery, so on the 2nd night, I was left alone with a newborn. Fear creeps in. I remembered my past experience with trying to breastfeed my babies, and after 1 hour of non stop latching & sore/cracked nipples, baby cries even harder. What I did at that time? Mixed some formula & gave it to the baby. Baby drank vigorously & slept. And how I felt during that time? Like the biggest loser!!! I had latching issues in my previous experiences, which was a major factor causing me not able to successfully fully breastfeed. Alhamdulillah, with knowledge this time around, things were different.

Anyways, this time around, things were a bit different. I watched baby for feeding cues, did not wait for him to cry, and breastfed him every now and then, ensuring that he had the properly latched. Alhamdulillah, he seems content after breastfeeding. Also this time, I noticed that my baby had a tongue-tie which caused me inevitable distress everytime he latches (so painful, I cried each time he latches). On day 5, we brought him to the surgeon for a frenectomy & Alhamdulillah, mother & baby were happy with breastfeeding & latching.
FYI, tongue tie interferes with proper latching & hence, baby would not get enough milk, leading him to being fussy, causing mother distress, mother tops up with formula, breasts not emptied regularly...and last resort, leading to low milk supply! :-(

This time around, I did not want to introduce my son to bottles during confinement period. Even during my "urut" session which was on the 3rd day of confinement, I gave the nanny a syringe to feed him expressed milk. Unfortunately, on day 4 & day 5 (before releasing the tongue-tie), I was in desperate measures due to the pain during latching, so I had to express milk & my nanny fed him the milk with a bottle. I was so afraid that he might not want to latch again, but Alhamdulillah, he did latch like a champion 2 hours after the frenectomy! :-)

I started expressing milk on day 3 confinement using my hands (because milk full of colostrum & sticky during that time) so pumping might not be a good idea, because the milk might just stick to the breastshields & does not reach the baby, hence such a waste of good nutrition.Why start expressing milk so early? Because I had urut sessions on day 3, 4 and 5; hence I needed someone to tend to the baby for 2 hours while I "mengurut".I started using the breastpump to collect milk on day 5, since the milk was maturing & not so sticky anymore.

We co-sleep at night to make breastfeeding easier. Yes, he wakes up every hour for feeding. But that doesn't mean he is not getting enough milk. It means that breastmilk is easy on baby's tummy & easily digestible, hence babies who breastfeed tend to nurse frequently. It is also a God's made miracle, whereby the more babies suck, the more milk will be produced, hence milk supply will be established!
Darn, if only I knew this during my first baby, I wouldn't have been topping up with formula milk thinking she is hungry & I do not have enough breastmilk!!!

And yes, sometimes babies do get all fussy & want to nurse all the time. But that does not mean he is not satisfied from feeding at the breast. He may be having a growth spurt & simply wants to feed round the clock. The baby feeding round the clock is a mechanism to help increase your breastmilk supply. Again, nature takes it's course! The next day you know, things will be back to normal. Again, if I only knew this!!!

When do I find time to pump breastmilk?
I am indeed a busy mother. So mostly during confinement, I disciplined myself to pump 4 to 6 times a day. Mostly tandem pumping (breastfeeding baby on one side, pumping on the other side). This method saves time so that I can get some rest or tend to other kids while baby is sleeping.

Tandem Pumping

Another method is I usually pump right after baby breastfeeds. This method not only helps to empty breasts efficiently but also helps to build up milk supply as your body will work to make more milk in assumption that baby needs more milk because of the extra stimulation from pumping. That being said, for most mothers, I do recommend pumping 1 hour after breastfeeding (if you feel your breasts are "empty" after direct feeding. Reason being is, firstly, pumping straight after direct feeding might lead to you not getting as much expressed milk as you expected. Hence, this might be a source of discouragement for new mothers. Pumping 1 hour after direct feeding instead of immediately after direct feeding is recommended because after effective direct feeding, your breasts has already removed themilk so automatically more prolactin will be secreted to make milk (without the need of pumping), so there is no need to pump just yet. But, 1 hour post direct feeding, there will be accumulated milk in your milk ducts already, hence pumping as an additional method of milk removal from the breasts at this time would be beneficial to empty the breasts and stimulate the production of prolactin (& hence more milk).

It also helps that I am using the Lily Breastpump as it is rechargeble& handsfree so I can move about while pumping to tend to other kids, or do other things like eating etc. I also use the Pearl Breastpump & found it superb in emptying breasts as it is a heavy, duty double breastpump.

Lily Breastpump
Available at www.evelove.com.my

Pearl Breastpump
Available at www.evelove.com.my

I even pump when I go out for a short while like when I went out to register my son's birth certificate.This is to ensure that the breasts are always emptied & milk supply is established.

How do I keep track of my breastmilk stock? Using the Eve Love Breastfeeding App which is available for download at Google Playstore.

So how much breastmilk stock did I manage to yield during confinement? First 28 days: 250 oz. Last 12 days: 250 oz. TOTAL: 500 oz!!!

I am not saying that you need this much breastmilk stock to make breastfeeding succeed. But my point is, I am the same person, who was told that I cannot make enough milk for my babies. I am still the same person who cried my heart out because I was unable to breastfeed my babies. But now, I am the same person who managed to fully breastfeed my baby & yield this much breastmilk!

Above: My 1st bag of EBM
Below: My 2nd bag of EBM
I seperated the stock according to months to store in my deep freezer

What did I eat? Any special milk boosters?

I just ate all the nutritious & healthy food to ensure that my baby gets quality nutrition :-)
Below are some which helped my breastmilk supply increase. Please note that every individual is different, so the food that increased my breastmilk , might not work the same for you. And special thanks to my dear friend, who took the trouble to prepare chicken essence & some traditional herbs for me (which indeed, helped increase my breastmilk supply & kept me feeling energized).To me, natural source of food are the best!

Bone Broth @ Sup Tulang

Grilled Garlic. Chicken Essence (Below)

Some other foods that have helped me as milk boosters: Dates, Oats, Cheese, Herbs (Fenugreek@ Halba, Fennel@ Jintan Manis), Horlicks, Goat's Milk


So mummies, do equip yourself with knowledge as much as you can while pregnant. Knowledge is king.
Million Thanks to my dear husband who has supported me throughout, giving me encouragement to breastfeed :-) He has been with me through my ups & downs of breastfeeding all these years!


I have came accross a quote somewhere which says, Breastfeeding is 90% Mental, 10% Physical. I guess it's really true. You have to have a goal, have a plan on how to achieve the goal, & of course, pray & surrender that The Creator grants your humble wish to fully breastfeed your child. InshaAllah, you will succeed :-)

Blissful Water Birth of Our Son

Assalamualaikum.
Just to share the pregnancy and birth story of our miracle baby :-)
Hopefully it inspires other families to consider more on gentle birthing, InshaAllah.

First Trimester:
Got to know I was pregnant just a 4 weeks. Could feel some changes such as light headedness and increase olfactory sensations. Did a UPT and it was confirmed :-) Shared the news with Hubby, family and some friends.

It was indeed a miracle since just few weeks before that, I got really interested to know more on gentle birthing, bought the AMANI Birth book & so inspired by it and some of the gentle birth stories I read. As I was wishing to experience a gentle birth someday, Alhamdulillah, Allah blessed us with this new pregnancy!

Surveyed for a healthcare provider and the options we had for antenatal care and birthing. My hubby was new to gentle birthing concept but he just kindly agreed to my wishes.. Alhamdulillah, heard so much about Dr.Idora from Pantai KL and decided to make an appointment to meet her at 7 weeks pregnancy. She seemed to be supportive of my ideas of birthing Alhamdulillah, so we decided to continue with her throughout the pregnancy.

My only drawback at first trimester was having GERD annd terrible vomitting until I lost 5kg during the first trimester. At first, I tried my best not to take any medications and tried all sorts of natural remedies like ginger, honey etc. None seemed to work, and with worry that I might not provide enough nutrients for my baby, I resorted to taking PPI for 2 weeks. Alhamdulillah, at 14 weeks pregnancy, vomitting resolved and appetite caught up :-)

2nd Trimester

Blissfully uneventful. Found out we were expecting a boy at 15 weeks POA. Felt fetal kick at 16 weeks POA while performing terawikh on 1st Ramadhan during 1st rakaat Terawikh. Alhamdulillah managed to fast the whole month of Ramadhan.

Did Antenatal Exercises like Tailor Sitting, Squats, Walking on Treadmill & Belly dancing.
Alhamdulillah felt perfectly healthy during my 2nd trimester. Happy that I got to resume with daily chores as usual.

3rd Trimester

Pressure symptoms like pelvic pressure, frequent urination and sciatica catching up. Many sleepless nights & indeed exhausted. Slowed down on exercise, just did normal household stuff like cooking, light walking here & there and concentrated more on Kegel exercise. Getting excited & nervous at the same time :-)


THE BLISSFUL BIRTH STORY

Sunday, 30 November

4 a.m: Woke up with painful surge. Timed surges around 1 in 10.
6 a.m: Waited for Subuh, showered and prayed. Applied clary sage essential oil on my ankles to help increase surges. Went to sleep soon.
10 a.m: Woke up with surges again. Told hubby about it. We called labour room to book a waterbirth suite for us.
4 p.m: Arrived at labour room. CTG showed contractions 1 in 6. Upon VE, I was told cervix was still posterior & only 1 cm dilated. Adviced to go home & rest, let nature takes it course.
Feeling a bit dissapointed, we went hime  tht day.

Next 2 days was just the same. I was restless & exhausted with on & off contractions.
On Tuesday night, 2nd December, Hubby let me rest alone in our room while he took tge kids to another room to sleep. I on the diffuser & put some Balance Essential Oil in it. Again applied clary sage oil on my ankles. Alhamdulillah, I got such wonderful sleep that nightt.

Wednesday, 3rd December 2014

1 p.m: Felt surges becoming stronger. Rested on bed after Zuhur prayers.
5 p.m: Woke up with painful surges again. Told hubby & we decided to go to labour room after Magrib prayers.
9 p.m: Contractions showed 1 in 3 at labour room. Upon VE, cervix still only 1cm. I was upset but Hubby was convinced that I was in true labour this time around. We stayed on in labour room that night.

Hubby on the diffuser with Balance essential oil.
Time to time he fed me with dates & also let me drink
"Air Bunga Fatimah". Both are supposed to provide energy & help with muscle contractions.

12 a.m: Surges getting stronger. I was so restless, walking around the room & squatting with each surge. I felt squatting helps to relief pain & also help open pelvic outlet to descend baby. I called the midwive for VE. Still no progress..definitely was upset but hubby told me to stay strong & reminded me, every surge is bringing us closer to the baby..

Hubby put on the Ocean Serenade music to keep me calm while he dozed off a while. I worked on tolerating the contractions, reminding myself not to fight the pain but to work with it as it serves as a purpose (to help me bring out the baby). I tried relaxing all the muscles including my jaws while the contractions came so that all energy can be focused on the uterus doing its job. This went on until 6 a.m.

6 a.m: Cleared my bladder & requested for VE. Had some bloody show. Upon VE, dilated 3cm. Hubby informed the nurses that I am a fast progresser once dilated. They got the water tub ready for me. He also applied Helichrysium Essential Oil on my back to prevent hemorrhage.

8.30 a.m: Was in so much pain, started losing control. Upon VE was 5 cm dilated.
Started behaving differently & was in so much pain. Thank God hubby was with me all the way, holding my hand, rubbing my back & praying for me.

9 a.m: Dr arrived. VE 7cm. Was told that I could get in the water tub.
They nurses helped me into the tub.
Subhanallah, the warm water was such a pain relief!!
They on the Ocean Serenade music again to comfort me.
The nurses kept on pouring warm water and comforting me.
Dr Idora was so gentle with her words. I remember her saying " Just go with the urge". & " Keep breathing well "..

9.15 a.m: Felt urge to bear down. I was in a sitting reclining position.
wanted to squat but had no more energy to do so.
With each surge, I breathe my baby out into the world.
Hubby was there stroking my head and saying kind words. After few pushes, my baby's head was out along with his amniotic sac. It broke when he was halfway out.

9.20 a.m: Baby was out & on my chest. Muhammad Saiful Islam was born at 3.14kg.
We came out of the tub & Dr. Idora started stitching me soon (I had just 2 stitches for some superficial tear).
while stitching was going on, my baby latched like a champion, Alhamdulillah. He did the breast crawl thing & found his way to latch!
Soon the cord dried out (we had about 10 minutes of delayed cord clamping)  and my hubby was given the honour to cut the cord. Few seconds later, felt the urge to push out the placenta & it was out naturally.
We then had 2 hours of skin to skin time.

Alhamdulillah, felt so empowered and refreshed by this experience. Hubby seemed amazed too & mentioned he was proud that I did it without anaesthesia! To me, he was my pain relief..nothing can beat a loving support during labour!

p/s: Couldnt have done it without my hubby! Special credits to all who supported & encouraged me towards gentle birthing. Love u Mummies!

Adapted From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7521750.stm

Diet 'can flavour mother's milk'

Breast milk varies in flavour Flavours in a nursing mother's snack can find their way into her breast milk within minutes, research suggests. A group of 18 women were asked to provide samples of breast milk before and after eating capsules containing various flavours. New Scientist magazine reported that banana could be detected for an hour after consumption, while menthol lasted for eight hours. Previous work suggests a breastfeeding mother's diet affects her baby's taste.  Breastfeeding may prepare the infant for flavour changes and new experiences when they start to eat solid foods  Dr Helene Hausner Copenhagen University Mothers are often concerned that their baby may be put off breastfeeding or become upset if they have eaten strongly flavoured food. But the research from the University of Copenhagen suggests that, in most cases, the taste will only change for a few hours at most. As well as the banana and menthol chemicals, they tested capsules containing liquorice and caraway seed chemicals, both of which peaked in concentration in breast milk on average two hours after consumption. The research, which originally appeared in the journal Physiology and Behavior, also found that the time it took for the flavours to arrive and disappear varied significantly between women. However, all the flavours had vanished by the eight hour mark. Developing tastes Dr Helene Hausner, who led the study, said that preliminary results suggested that a variety of flavours in breast milk could make the baby more accepting of new flavours. "Breastfeeding may prepare the infant for flavour changes and new experiences when they start to eat solid foods." She suggested that while non-citrus fruit flavours only fleetingly altered the flavour of breast milk, other chemicals, such as those in carrots or citrus fruits, might produce more change. She suggested that the same effect might be achieved by mothers using formula milk if they changed the brand now and again. Gill Rapley, a health visitor, researcher, and author, said that the findings were another reason why breastfeeding might help babies during weaning. She said that while parents tended to worry that something they ate might upset their baby's stomach rather than their tastebuds if passed through breastmilk, the results would be reassuring. "It's interesting to see just how quickly these flavours disappear from breast milk, and we will be able to tell mothers about this."

A Natural Protein in Breastmilk That Fights HIV

For decades, public health officials have puzzled over a surprising fact about HIV: Only about 10-20 percent of infants who are breastfed by infected mothers catch the virus. Tests show, though, that HIV is indeed present in breast milk, so these children are exposed to the virus multiple times daily for the first several months (or even years) of their lives.

Now, a group of scientists and doctors from Duke University has figured out why these babies don’t get infected. Human breast milk naturally contains a protein called Tenascin C that neutralizes HIV and, in most cases, prevents it from being passed from mother to child. Eventually, they say, the protein could potentially be valuable as an HIV-fighting tool for both infants and adults that are either HIV-positive or at risk of contracting the infection.

The research, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was inspired by previous work by other researchers showing that, both in tissue cultures and live mice, breast milk from HIV-negative mothers was naturally endowed with HIV-fighting properties. Scientists suggested that a few different proteins in the milk could potentially be responsible, but no one knew which one.

As part of the study, the researchers divided breast milk into smaller fractions made up of specific proteins via a number of filters—separating the proteins by size, electrical charge and other characteristics—and tested which of these fractions, when added to a tissue culture, prevented the cells from being infected by HIV. Eventually, using mass spectrometry, they found that one particular protein was present in all the HIV-resistant fractions but in none of the others: Tenascin C.

“The protein works by binding to the HIV envelope, and one of the interesting things is that we were even able to narrow down exactly where on the envelope it binds,” says Sallie Permar, the study’s lead author. Her team found that the protein binds to a crucial region on the virus’ envelope that normally locks onto a receptor called CCR5 on the outside of human T cells,allowing it to fuse its membrane with the cell’s. With the region covered up by Tenascin C, HIV’s normal route of attack is blocked, and the virus’ effectiveness is greatly diminished.

Still, the researchers say that other natural elements in milk might play a role in fighting HIV as well. “It’s clearly not the whole story, because we do have samples that have low amounts of this protein but still have HIV-neutralizing activity,” Permar says. ”So it may be acting in concert with other antiviral and antimicrobial factors in the milk.”

Whatever those other factors are, though, the finding vindicates recent changes to UN guidelines that recommend even HIV-positive mothers in resource-poor countries should breastfeed, if they’re taking anti-retroviral drugs to combat their own infection. That’s because—as statistics bear out—the immense nutritional and immune system-boosting benefits of breast milk outweigh the relatively small chance of transmitting HIV through breastfeeding. Tenascin C, it seems, is a big part of why that transmission rate is surprisingly low, and sufficient access to anti-retroviral drugs can help drive it even lower—as low as 2 percent.

The next steps, Permar says, are determining which area of Tenascin C is active in binding to HIV and whether it can effectively prevent transmission in a live animal, as opposed to a tissue culture. If it works, it could potentially be incorporated into an HIV drug with broader applications. Possible uses include giving it in a concentrated form to infants who can’t breastfeed or even administering it to those who do to increase their level or resistance. It’s even conceivable that it could someday be adapted to reduce the risk of HIV transmission in adults as well.

One immediate advantage, says Permar, is that “it’s like to be inherently safe, because it’s already a component for breast milk. It’s something babies eat everyday.” Other potential treatments, on the other hand, must be screened for toxicity.

Tenascin C’s presence in breast milk, though, prompts a deeper question: Why would milk naturally include a protein that battles HIV, a virus that evolved extremely recently in our evolutionary history, sometime in the early 20th century?

“I don’t think it’s in breast milk to combat HIV specifically, but there have been other, related infections that have passed through breastfeeding,” Permar says. “Our work has shown that Tenascin C’s activity isn’t specific to HIV, so we think it’s more of a broad-spectrum anti-microbial protein.”

In other words, Tenascin C is effective at combating a large variety of infections (perhaps related to its role in adults, where it holds various types of tissue together, necessitating receptors that can bind to a wide array of different cells). The fact that it happens to bind at just the right spot on HIV’s outer envelope so that it combats the virus’ transmission, as Permar puts it, is “a gift from evolution.”

Original article from: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/discovered-a-natural-protein-in-breast-milk-that-fights-hiv-3189537/?no-ist

Mother's Rights to Work, Worker's Rights to Motherhood

Assalamualaikum/Greetings!

On the 5th of June 2014, I had the chance to attend the Lactation Management Workshop at the 23rd Congress of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Society of Malaysia.
The Theme was: Mother's Rights to Work, Worker's Rights to Motherhood

I sincerely would love to share this information with women out there for you to know your rights as a breastfeeding mother.

The information which I am going to disclose here was presented at the congress and  is adapted from the following file. Do read it if you have the time to do so :-)

http://www.waba.org.my/whatwedo/womenandwork/pdf/02.pdf

Maternity protection at the workplace is a legal and social recognition of the contribution that women make by having babies. The International Labour Organization (ILO) first recognised the importance of maternity protection in 1919 in its third convention (C3). In 1952, a second ILO maternity protection convention was adopted (C103), and in 2000 a third.

During the 20th Century, most countries of the world have enacted maternity protection legislation at national level.

Seven Key Elements of Maternity Protection are:

1. Scope

    -Covers all employed women including those in atypical forms of dependent work (meaning those in part time, temporary work who have an employer).

2. Leave

    -Length of leave increase from 12 weeks to 14 weeks. (compulsory 6 weeks postnatal leave).

3. Benefits

    -Cash benefits of no less than 2/3 of salary.

    -Prenatal, childbirth and post-natal care and hospitalization 
where necessary.

4. Health Protection

    - protection for women and their babies from hazards in the workplace

   

5. Job Protection

   - Job protection and non-discrimination: holding a woman’s job or a job at the same level to which she can return after leave; forbidding discrimination on the grounds of maternity

6. Breastfeeding Breaks

   - A woman has the right to one or more daily paid breaks for breastfeeding or a daily reduction of working hours. 

7. Breastfeeding Facilities

   - a place where a worker can feed her baby or express her milk

The ultimate goal is to have these elements implemented as a minimum standard in national legislation on maternity protection. 

Do correct me if I am wrong, but currently in Malaysia, maternity protections has not reached the level of "LEGISLATION" yet. This is what we as Breastfeeding Advocates are currently aiming for and working towards it step by step.

Below are the comparisons of Maternity Leaves and practice of Breastfeeding Breaks in various countries:

So what are the ILO Recommendations for future Maternity Protection? (R191)

Below are some things Medical Proffessionals can help to assist in helping a working mother achieve successful breastfeeding: