Bridging the Gap – a working mother’s breastfeeding journey
A community health worker's personal story inspires her community and transforms her into a breastfeeding champion
In Pakistan, a joint UNICEF-Government initiative is empowering Lady Health Workers (LHW) to champion breastfeeding. This collaboration aims to create an enabling environment that helps mothers to successfully breastfeed their children and become advocates in their community.
The National Nutrition Survey 2018 reveals that less than half of children in Pakistan are exclusively breastfed until the age of six months. This means that nearly half of the nation’s children are deprived of the sustained benefits of breastfeeding, contributing to the alarming prevalence of malnutrition among babies.
For over a decade, Nazneen has been a lifeline for more than a thousand families in Mohalla Kuma of Village Khari Sher, around 20 km outside of Islamabad city. Since 2008, she's been serving her community as a Lady Health Worker (LHW), educating people about maternal and child health, with a special focus on the benefits of breastfeeding.
Nazneen always hoped to breastfeed her own children. After six years of marriage, her prayers were answered with the birth of her daughter, Abar-e-Rahmat. Committed to giving her baby the best start in life, Nazneen decided to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months and continue for two years.
When Nazneen started advocating for breastfeeding in her community, few women were breastfeeding their babies, however, seeing Nazneen practice what she preached by breastfeeding her own daughter, now 13 months old, inspired other mothers. As a result, most of the mothers in the Mohalla Kuma prioritized breastfeeding their children up to 24 months.
"In UNICEF's training workshops, we learn how to support breastfeeding mothers on our staff."
Balancing the responsibilities of a new mother with her job as a health worker was challenging for Nazneen. Her role required frequent home visits and the Basic Health Unit (BHU). Worried about how she would manage, she confided in her supervisor, Rubina Alam (pictured right), Lady Health Supervisor, BHU Jigiot. With 18 years of experience, Rubina reassured her that they would support her in her breastfeeding journey.
She encourages Nazneen to bring her daughter to work, ensuring that baby Abar-e-Rahmat continues to be breastfed and given nutritious meals. Now, Abar-e-Rahmat is a happy and healthy baby, welcomed and supported by Nazneen's colleagues.
Since Nazneen's husband lives and works in another country, her father supports her by taking the family to the BHU on his motorbike when needed.
"Babies who are fed their mother's milk stay strong and content. So, I am happy to support my daughter this way."
Amidst her daily work responsibilities, Nazneen skilfully balances her duties of registering new patients while taking care of Abar-e-Rehmat. Her colleagues support her breastfeeding journey, providing her with privacy at the Basic Health Unit. This supportive behaviour not only enables Nazneen to fulfil her professional duties but also ensures that her baby receives the essential care and nutrition that breastfeeding provides, even at the workplace.
Today, Tayyaba (pictured left), a local mother, came to Nazneen for advice. Her six-month-old son, Shah Zain, is ready to start semi-solid foods. Using a UNICEF nutrition counselling booklet, Nazneen explains the best options and why they are important. Tayyaba trusts Nazneen completely, saying "Nazneen is my best friend when it comes to health and nutritional advice."
The Health House becomes a friendly space where mothers exchange tips and encourage each other. Nazneen notices the mothers are starting to make positive changes and believes that providing more health support, like multi-micronutrient tablets for mothers, along with counselling, could lead to even better outcomes. She shows that with support, a mother can care for her child and succeed at work, becoming a role model for others to follow.
