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More than 90 percent of nursing mothers do not consult lactation experts or use milk banks despite facing challenges in breastfeeding
As part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7) is commemorated every year to raise awareness of the advantages of breastfeeding for infant growth and development.
To better gauge women’s awareness about the measures available to support them to breastfeed and the challenges that they still might face, Guguram-based startup Mylo conducted a survey with over 1,200 nursing mothers across India.
The survey revealed that breastfeeding presents major challenges for over 83% of Indian mothers. Almost 50% of nursing mothers surveyed expressed facing physical difficulties in their breastfeeding journey.
Contrary to what may be perceived, only 7% consulted a lactation expert for advice or support. Most breastfeeding mothers either solicited advice from family or friends (66%) or from YouTube and videos available online (33%).
Amongst the nursing moms, 55% confirmed that their baby’s hunger is not satisfied exclusively with breastmilk, leading 46% of moms to use baby formula as a supplement. Interestingly, although 46% of the moms surveyed were aware about the availability of milk banks, only 5% had ever accessed a milk bank to purchase milk and feed their infant. 25% of the mothers stated the reason being that they have no milk banks in the area, indicating a lot more needs to be done in terms of setting up milk banks across the country.
Reflecting on the survey findings, Shaveta Gupta, Head – Content & Community, Mylo, said, “This breastfeeding week, Mylo has launched a tech solution providing easy information and access to milk banks across India. Understanding and acting on the survey results, Mylo will offer free consultations with lactation experts this complete month, to help nursing moms to overcome any challenges they may be experiencing in their breastfeeding journey.”
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