GEORGE TOWN: Without a designated nursing room, administrative staff member Chuktima Thin had to express breast milk at her desk using a nursing apron for privacy.
Her only comfort was that she was surrounded by female colleagues at her previous workplace, making it easier to express milk every two to three hours after the birth of her first child.
Chuktima was thankful that her current employer provided a dedicated nursing room after she had her second child.
“Balancing work and expressing milk remains challenging, but public acceptance of breastfeeding has improved over the years.
“When I used to go out with my children as babies, I would find a place to sit and use a nursing apron for cover before breastfeeding them.
“Back then, I used to get strange stares from people but now there is much greater acceptance,” she said.
Chuktima, 34, chose to breastfeed both her children because she believed breast milk provides the best immunity for growing infants.
Her children, Angus Jirayuth Wood, seven, and Ailsa Eva Jeerayuth Wood, five, were both breastfed for two years.
Chuktima was among those who attended Penang Adventist Hospital’s World Breastfeeding Week at Gurney Plaza yesterday.
The hospital’s lactation educator, Ooi Shu Ting, 31, said she recently stopped breastfeeding her eight-month-old daughter after exclusively breastfeeding her for the first six months.
She said maintaining her milk supply while juggling work commitments such as meetings, events and attending to patients was challenging, leaving her with little time to express milk.
“Breast milk production works on a supply-and-demand basis,” she said.
“Removing less milk sends signals your body to reduce production.”
Renesas Kulim QA Department assistant officer J. Heema, 31, said workplace facilities had made breastfeeding much easier.
“Our company has a nursing room with air-conditioning and a refrigerator to store expressed breast milk.
“Pregnant women are also allowed to park closer to the office and there is a resting room for them,” she added.
Penang social development and welfare committee chairman Lim Siew Khim said support for mothers should not end at the office door but should also include community parenting support networks and workplace childcare facilities.
“Our initiatives focus on expanding access to affordable, regulated and professional childcare services because when mothers receive better support, breastfeeding becomes easier too,” she said.
Lim added that the Penang Women’s Development Corporation, the social welfare department and the Penang Geographic Information System Centre were developing a digital mapping portal to help parents locate registered childcare centres.
“The website will allow parents to search for registered childcare centres throughout the state and share feedback,” she said.
Earlier, Penang Adventist Hospital president and chief executive officer Albin Phua said Malaysia’s exclusive breastfeeding rate for infants up to six months had reached 73.18%, according to the Health Ministry.
He said all relevant hospital personnel underwent Baby-Friendly Hospital training last year, and the hospital is equipped with four breastfeeding and lactation rooms.
The hospital conducts more than 1,000 breastfeeding counselling sessions and provides support to more than 700 postnatal mothers annually, he added.
