JOIN USMostly associated with terms like ‘motherhood’, ‘affection’ and ‘love’, breastfeeding also confirms a woman’s power to control her body, and challenges the bio-medical practices and business interests that promote bottle-feeding.
“As for breastfeeding, it is a matter of reproductive rights. With the present hospital practices it is also many-a-times denied to the mothers. Especially in Delhi, there is a high rate of caesareans and operative deliveries. And very often, separation of mother from their babies is done right after birth,” says Dr Camila Conti Gill, a certified child birth educator, who runs a private clinic.
Gill has two children, and she has fed both her children up to five years of their age. She is dissatisfied with various practices that are not ‘natural,’ being followed in hospitals.
“Breastfeeding is empowering because the mother is put in a condition to do what is natural and instinctive to her,” she says, adding, a mother who breastfeeds, feels good about the role of a mother. “It is not only about giving the best nutrition, though everybody knows it is the best food for the newborns. It is also a great bond between the mother and the child. The mother feels more competent in responding to the child’s needs.”
Significantly, “a child who is breastfed is normally calmer, more content, satisfied and more bonded. This positive response helps the women feel more empowered,” says Gill.
“The current delivery practices are not conducive to initiation of breastfeeding,” rues Gill, adding, the first hour of birth is imperative for the baby to learn a good latch. The separation stops the baby and the mother from doing what is natural,” she says.
Pooja Jastoria, a mother of two says, “I fed my first baby for one-and-half years. My new baby is two months old now and I do feed him at regular intervals. My first baby was given to me after one whole day and when I met her, my first instinct was to just feed her.”
“My second baby was given to me the very day he was born and the Kangaroo care procedure was the most overwhelming emotion. But my mother-in-law was a bit sceptical whether I would have enough time to attend to the baby. So for a day I gave my baby bottle feed, but I couldn’t do it for more than a day. I was unhappy and disturbed. The very next day I stood up to my mother-in-law and said, ‘I will be responsible for feeding my baby,’” recalls Jastoria.
Jastoria clarifies that the notions attached that a mother does not get time to do anything else except feed the baby is wrong. She is on a sabbatical for three months, but still does everything she wants to – go to the market, drop her daughter to school and do other chores at home.