BENGALURU: The World Breastfeeding Week is upon us, and young mothers are changing perceptions about this practice of early childhood care.
While nursing a child in public was considered a taboo, it’s slowly being accepted as a norm. To help breastfeeding moms understand the myths and facts, Adhunika Prakash, now a certified Lactation Educator and Counsellor, started the Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers (BSIM) group where moms share their experiences and help each other.
“When I spoke to my friends, I realised that most of them were unable to get accurate information on breastfeeding. After having my first baby, I became passionate about promoting breastfeeding and I had started sending out relevant emails to new mothers in my friend's circle. Later I thought it would be easier to share links and information on a group instead. That’s how the group started,” says Adhunika.
The group that started in Pune expanded to other cities as the mothers started following the group. “Any mother in the world, who is breastfeeding a baby, or any person who knows of someone who is nursing a child can be a part of the group,” says Charulatha Varadarajan, BSMMI (Breastfeeding Support For Moms of Multiples India) Admin, which is a group for mothers with more than one child.
There are also some medical professionals in the group who help people with different queries.
“The suggestions are supplemented with a scientific link which gives mother all the information required,” she explains.
Their Bangalore team meets second Saturday of every month.