Till about the middle of the 19th century, it was unimaginable to do away with this age old ritual. The situation is pretty different now, for varied reasons. Not being able to produce milk due to medical complications is just one of them.
The million dollar question then is why a mother would not feed the little one, despite having knowledge of the associated benefits?
The mother’s milk is nutritious and it enhances the immunity of the infants. It is more economical than the milk available in the open market. For the mothers, it comes with the added advantage of reducing the chances of breast cancer
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The social stigma
Women who opt not to breast feed the tiny tots, however face the social stigma. "Women who don't breast-feed their kids are accused of being selfish and lazy,” commented a woman who chose to defy the established tradition of breast feeding.
"To people who make such harsh allegations, I say: it is my breast, my milk, and my child," she retorted.
The possible causes
A mother who contracted medical problems after a complicated delivery, said on the condition of anonymity, "It is all fake; the mum looks happy, her skin is glowing and healthy - very unlike what actually happened in my life."
She said, "While breast-feeding, you are asked to sit up straight and feed your kid. That was very painful for me. I have on many occasions given my kid a milk bottle as I didn't have the energy to sit up or feed him."
The social fabric is also changing. The move is towards nuclear families and therefore there are no elders to encourage the young mothers to continue with the often arduous task of feeding the little one. Needless to say, the added pressure of managing the entire home alone is quite a task for the mother.
Mothers, these days tend to feel shy while breastfeeding the infants in public places.
With more and more women joining the workforce, the stress levels have increased and women are not being able to balance the demanding nature of the jobs and the household compulsions together.
Gynecologist Rashmi Nair notes, "In restaurants, mothers are asked to use the most uncomfortable place to breast-feed their kids -- the toilet. So when out on parties or at work, if the mother happens to forget to pump her milk, she will usually ask the nanny to give bottle milk to the kid and, over a period of time, bottle milk replaces breast milk."
While the world is all set to celebrate the Breast-feeding week, the breast feeding rates in the country are falling.
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