"Support from the family, including spouses, mothers-in-law, grandmothers, or others, at home is important so that the mother does not feel like she is struggling alone," AIMI chairperson Nia Umar said here on Wednesday.
At an online press conference on the "2024 World Breastfeeding Week" here on Wednesday, she explained that the involvement of family members in supporting breastfeeding mothers and their babies is essential.
She noted that not all mothers can produce breast milk due to various factors.
Meanwhile, there are some obstacles that breastfeeding mothers often experience such as sore nipples, breast milk shortage, flat nipples, and swollen breasts.
In addition to families, she added, health workers in the nearby environment are expected to have the competence to help breastfeeding mothers.
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All components of society, including the government, she said, need to increase awareness about providing support for mothers and children so that they can enjoy their rights.
"All parties need to work together to ensure that mothers get their rights to breastfeed and for children to get breast milk," she added.
Furthermore, Umar said that the promotion of breast milk replacement products in Indonesia is not balanced with the good practices of infant and child feeding.
According to her, the current policies are not comprehensive enough to protect the rights of mothers in breastfeeding and for children to get breast milk.
One of the concrete supports for breastfeeding mothers is ensuring that all health services related to lactation management cover all regions and vulnerable communities.
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Translator: Adimas P, Kenzu
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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