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.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS