Myths About Breastfeeding in Pakistan
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Breastfeeding is the diet Nature has provided to your baby, and it has countless benefits, containing all the nutrients your child needs. However, there was a time when formula milk companies advertised so much that some so-called modern moms considered formula milk to be as beneficial as breast milk. As a result, the proportion of mothers in South Asia who are bottle feeding is currently much higher than those who are breastfeeding. This ratio is also affected by the many wrong ideas and ignorance about breastfeeding that exist in Pakistan.
Myths About Breastfeeding in Pakistan
There are certain myths about breastfeeding that are prevalent in Pakistan. While some of them are quite interesting, many of them are based on absolute ignorance. Let’s have a look at the myths:
- The Initial Breast Milk Is Stale: It is believed that a child must not be fed with breast milk right after birth because the milk is stale, which is why it is yellow in colour. Some elderly women in the family will religiously make sure that the breast milk is discarded for the first couple of days after the birth.
- The Breast Milk Is Poisonous Due to the Evil Eye: Another myth is that milk can become poisonous due to the evil eye. Women conclude that breast milk has turned into poison if a child doesn’t suck well. They believe that an infant is innocent, and therefore able to sense that there is something seriously wrong with the breast milk. As a result of this concern, they decide to bottle feed the baby.
- There Is Not Enough for the Baby: It is natural for a baby to want to feed again and again, particularly in the first couple of months. However, in Pakistan it is believed that the baby is constantly hungry because the mom doesn’t have enough milk. You might hear some elderly woman saying, ‘meray bachay to aik dafa dodh pee laitay thay aor kafee time aram say so jatay thay‘. Such ignorant people simply don’t understand the fact that an infant cannot store as much food as adults do; hence, he or she will need to be fed at frequent intervals.
- Formula Milk is Better and Makes Babies Healthier: In traditional Pakistani society, formula milk is not only considered better but is also a symbol of modernity. If a baby is smiley and healthy, and he or she is on a particular brand of formula milk, it is considered proof that that brand is better for babies. This misconception is partly due to the alluring marketing of formula milk companies and partly due to people’s ignorance about how a healthy child should look. Not every healthy child will look ‘fat’. Conversely, looking obese or fat doesn’t mean that a child is healthy.
- Unhealthy Food Makes an Unhealthy Baby: It is a big misconception in Pakistan that if a baby has diarrhoea, it is because the mom has eaten some food that was not healthy enough. In this case, a mom is discouraged from breastfeeding her child. By the same reasoning, if a mom takes medicine, elderly women in the family may sometimes recommend that she not breastfeed.
- A Baby Takes a Mother’s Energy: Breastfeeding is often blamed when a new mother feels weak, dizzy, anaemic, nauseous, fatigued and less energetic. Some may believe that the baby is taking all her energy, and she is advised to stop breastfeeding or else she will get weaker and weaker.
- A Mom Needs to Eat a Lot During Breastfeeding: It is a very widespread misconception that a woman should eat large amounts of food frequently when breastfeeding. She is advised to drink a lot of milk, water and eat energetic food. Eating a balanced diet is recommended, but a breastfeeding mom doesn’t have to follow a particular diet schedule.
Good one