Boosting breastfeeding in communities

“Breastfeeding is not as easy for everyone as one would expect. It can be challenging for many mothers.”

When Dhandevi Shahi gave birth to her daughter Samikshya two years ago, she hadn’t expected to face any issues with breastfeeding. Dhandevi, a local of Mudkechula in Dolpa District in remote western Nepal, already had two other children before Samikshya, and all had gone smoothly in both cases.

This time, however, things were different.

From the very beginning, Samikshya – who was a low birthweight baby – had difficulty feeding. This led to Dhandevi suffering breast engorgement, where her breasts were hard, tight and painful. “People had all kinds of suggestions for me,” Dhandevi says. “Some, for example, said I should stop having green leafy vegetables, others said to stop eating something else – it was a lot.”

Dhandevi, however, paid these suggestions no mind, and instead – recalling the advice that the local female community health volunteer had shared during a mothers’ group meeting – continued trying to breastfeed her child. The female community health volunteer had also recommended mothers struggling to breastfeed to diversify their diets, which can support milk production.

“She had told us that it was important to persist with breastfeeding despite the difficulties, because of how breastmilk can provide everything that my child needs to grow,” Dhandevi says. “That was my motivation to keep going.”

Dhandevi is also thankful to her family who were very supportive throughout, she says. “They gave me the time and space to focus on the baby, which helped a lot in terms of my mental and physical health.

It was a similar experience for Rita Bohara, who gave birth to her son Samip a year ago. The family had been overjoyed at the birth of a healthy little boy, but Rita was worried because she was struggling to breastfeed him.

A sense of relief came over Rita when she attended a mothers’ group meeting where the facilitating female community health volunteer was discussing the basics of breastfeeding. This included reminding the women to eat a varied diet comprised of fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat and fish while breastfeeding.

“Samip is our first child, so everything has been new for us,” Rita admits. “Learning that mother’s milk is like the first lifesaving vaccine for the child, that was really eye-opening. I wanted to give him that gift.”

Although it took time and effort, both Dhandevi and Rita were able to breastfeed their children normally, with the result that Samikshya and Samip are doing well today.

Thanks to the Comprehensive Nutrition Specific Intervention trainings organized by the Government of Nepal – supported by UNICEF through generous funding support from the European Union – female community health volunteers around the country have been raising awareness in their communities about the importance of breastfeeding for children’s health, as well as guiding mothers like Dhandevi and Rita who might be facing difficulties in the process.

These efforts – which include counselling mothers during regular mothers’ group meetings, through door-to-door visits or phone calls where necessary – have been crucial in promoting breastfeeding as well as battling myths and misconceptions.