Taipei has more than 1,000 breastfeeding rooms, and mothers can use the city government’s TaipeiPass (台北通) mobile app to locate the nearest one, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday in commemoration of World Breastfeeding Week.
World Breastfeeding Week, which is held annually in the first week of August, is supported by the WHO, UNICEF, and health ministries and civic organizations from around the world to highlight the benefits of breastfeeding for infants and the importance of supporting mothers.
As this year’s week ended yesterday, just before Father’s Day in Taiwan, the health department encouraged fathers to also support breastfeeding.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
Taiwan Academy of Breastfeeding executive council member Kuo Su-chen (郭素珍) said that encouraging mothers to breastfeed their newborns has become a global trend.
The WHO recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months from birth, and mothers should continue the practice while introducing complementary foods until the child is two, Kuo said.
About 20 years ago, feeding infants with formula milk was more common in Taiwan, so now support from families and the public is needed to establish a breastfeeding culture, she said, adding that direct support and assistance from an intimate partner, family, friends and colleagues are most important for mothers.
Department Commissioner Chen Yen-yuan (陳彥元) said that fathers should provide emotional support and assistance to their partners, such as by discussing a breastfeeding plan together, preparing food, doing housework, finding breastfeeding rooms or accompanying the mother to seek medical attention if problems occur.
The department said that it encourages businesses and facilities to establish specialized breastfeeding rooms, and as of June, Taipei had 1,123 such rooms, the highest number in the nation.
For people to find breastfeeding rooms more easily when they are in Taipei, the city government’s TaipeiPass app can display the nearest breastfeeding rooms, it said.
The department also urged people to respect mothers who choose to breastfeed in public, saying that they should not prevent or interfere with the breastfeeding, nor should they ask the mother to leave.
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