More than 100 pairs of parents yesterday brought their babies along to a function celebrating the establishment of the Breastfeeding Association Taiwan (BRA), the country's first organization to promote breastfeeding.
Chen Chao-huei (
There are no ready statistics on the prevalence of breastfeeding in Taiwan at the moment, but Chen said in the country's "mother-baby-friendly hospitals," around 80 to 90 percent of mothers breastfeed their newborn babies.
There are about 60 "mother-baby-friendly hospitals" in the country. The hospitals are characterized by their commitment to teach expectant mothers how to breastfeed.
"After babies are born, the hospitals will make mothers and babies stay together for as long as possible. They don't limit breastfeeding time and would assist mothers whenever they have difficulties," said Chen.
In her article exploring the relationship between SARS and breastfeeding, Chen said the antibodies and live cells in mothers' breast milk could help protect babies from the disease.
Mothers who did not exhibit SARS symptoms but were isolated because they had contact with SARS patients could continue breastfeeding and stay with their babies, Chen said.
It is still not known whether mothers who had SARS-contact histories and developed symptoms were still fit to breastfeed, she said.
"In most cases, when mothers contracted an infectious disease, their breast milk would contain the antibodies generated in their bodies," Chen said. If mothers continued breastfeeding after contracting infectious diseases, the antibodies in their breast milk could protect babies.
"But it is still not clear whether the breast milk of mothers infected with SARS would contain the virus, or whether babies would contract SARS after being breastfed by SARS-infected mothers," Chen said.
At the function, a group of young children sung a song to express their love for their mothers' breastfeeding.
Many mothers, holding their babies, eagerly shared with reporters the benefits of breastfeeding.
Liao Wen-shu (廖玟淑), a 29-year-old mother, quit her job in order to breastfeed her firstborn. Her son is now 13 months old, but she said she would keep on breastfeeding him until he does not want the breast anymore.
"Our family's financial condition is indeed not as good as before because I quit my job to be a full-time mother. But it is very worthwhile because I can watch my son grow up. I kept a diary to record his growth every day," Liao said.
For Lee Su-fen (李素芬), a 28-year-old employee of a stock company, breastfeeding has not been an easy task because she had to return to work when her two-month maternity leave ended.
Insisting on breastfeeding her firstborn, a daughter, Lee had to bring a small icebox-cooler with her to office every day so that she could keep her breast milk fresh by storing it in the cooler.
Lee said she had to squeeze her breasts three times a day during work hours to get 500ml of breast milk for her daughter.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and