Helping poor mums feed their babies

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.

Heavy responsibility: Putri with her two-year-old daughter.   

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.