DAVAO CITY – A group of breastfeeding advocates asking for wider support, said that working women who are successful in their breastfeeding journey are likely more beneficial to the company.
Breastfeeding Pinays (BFP), an online support group of over 55,000 mothers, cited studies showing the success of mothers in breastfeeding while at work “is in the company’s best interest”.
“According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), employees who breastfeed have improved productivity and increased loyalty,” the group said.
“Due to the health benefits of breastfeeding to the child, breastfeeding mothers have also logged less absences and health care costs have decreased. There is also a lower employee turnover and an enhanced public image of the company,” BFP said.
Mothers and their families will gather in a breastfeeding mobilization here on Saturday to celebrate the National Breastfeeding Awareness Month in August.
Hakab Na! Davao 2015, which is now on its third year, is initiated by the BFP.
The group said they “aim to boost awareness of the health and economic benefits of breastfeeding, promote the importance of providing proper support to breastfeeding mothers and ultimately, create a breastfeeding nation.”
Fe Janice So, member of BFP from Davao and one of the organizers of the local event here said “more people are now aware of the benefits of breastfeeding.”
“With proper information dissemination we are now a step closer to 100% breastfed society,” she said.
This year, the event highlights the challenges of a breastfeeding mother.
Bing Guevara, breastfeeding counselor and and a working mom herself, breastfed her two children despite her busy work schedule.
“Everyday, I would prepare my son’s breast milk before I leave for the office. I would usually be out for 12 hours—8 hours in the office and about 4 hours travel,” Guevara said in a statement.
She said she would express breastmilk in her office and bring home what her son would consume the next day.
“He would feed directly from me once I get home. I did this for at least two years,” said Guevara.
BFP said “over the last decades, more and more Filipino women are entering the workforce across all industries.”
BFP cited Republic Act 10028 or the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009 which “obliges the State to promote and encourage breastfeeding through specific measures that present opportunities for mothers to continue expressing their milk for their children.”
“One of the highlights of the law is that it gives the lactating mother and additional 40-minute break time for every eight-hour working period, on top of time-off for meals, to express milk,” the group said.
“Offices should also provide a lactation station where mothers can express and store their milk,” it said.
“The support of bosses and co-workers is important,” said Guevara.
“They can show support by giving you privacy while you are expressing and by respecting you and not ridiculing your effort with jokes and sneers,” she said.
So said Davao’s participation in Hakab Na! will also be part of The Big Latch On, which is an international activity where mothers latch on their babies from different locations around the world for one minute to create a world record.
Hakab Na! in Davao will be held at the 2nd floor of the Abreeza Mall at 10:00 am.
In 2014, the Philippines logged a total of 1,772 mom-and-baby pairs breastfeeding in Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Manila and Iloilo. This year’s Hakab Na! will be bigger with additional locations in Alabang, Aklan, Baguio-Benguet, Bulacan, Dumaguete, Isabela, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Zambales and Singapore. (davaotoday.com)
