Breastfeeding despite difficulties
Eman was able to breastfeed again after a pause
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Eman, who lives in Gharbeya governorate in the North of Egypt, became a mother for the first time in 2021.
Before giving birth, Eman went for regular follow ups for her pregnancy at the healthcare unit. She received a lot of useful information about breastfeeding and its importance to the upcoming baby boy.
This information was part of a strategy developed by UNICEF for child-friendly hospitals to support the early onset of absolute breastfeeding in the first six months of a child's life.
In addition to capacity building of healthcare workers to guide and train mothers like Eman, UNICEF organizes campaigns to raise public awareness and address social norms regarding infant and young children nutrition practices.
This is done through many traditional as well as digital media channels, such as communicating with the public through WhatsApp and the 1000 days Facebook page run by the Ministry of Health and Population in collaboration with UNICEF.
Thanks to the information and awareness she received before giving birth, Eman was able to cope with pressure from some family members to introduce artificial milk to feed the baby. She knew that breastfeeding was the best she could offer to her child at the beginning of his life.
Two weeks after her baby Ryan was born, the doctor told her that her child needed an operation to straighten his bones, which required the baby's legs to be in a cast for a month before the operation.
Eman faced great difficulties in continuing to breastfeed with the new situation. The more the young boy grew, the more anxious and nervous he got in reaction to the cast, which has been a great burden on Eman. "I was very tired from the many doctor visits and I didn't eat," said Eman, "my breast milk as not enough, so I had to add formula during this time. I was very upset because I knew the importance of breastfeeding to his immunity."
The only consolation was to believe that this was a temporary period until Ryan's operation, but she feared she would not be able to resume breastfeeding afterwards.
Eman consulted the nurse who trained her to breastfeed before birth and asked for her help on how to deal with these problems. The nurse visited her for guidance on how to better regulate breastfeeding and make it more comfortable. She also guided her to breast pumping, cup and syringe feeding instead of bottle feeding so Rayan would not refuse to breastfeed later.
Eman says her mother-in-law is one of the family members who supported her in returning to absolute breastfeeding again. While fear for the grandson prompts many grandmothers to pressure their daughter and daughters-in-law to use formula, Eman's mother-in-law supported the idea of absolute breastfeeding in the early months and helped her.
