Smart way to help flow of mother's milk

列印版本

摘自英文虎報

Mothers who breast-feed their babies now have an app they may turn to for help.

The application, the name of which translates as "the school of breast-feeding," includes answers to 50 frequently asked questions, videos and latest news of the practice, as well as a list of nursing room locations.

"We noticed that most of our website's visitors have accessed the site with a smartphone, so we decided to create an app for it by putting together the essential information we have online," said Hong Kong Breast-feeding Mothers' Association internal vice chairwoman Kelly Chan Po-king.

"Now mothers can seek help even when they are breast-feeding."

The app is available for download in traditional Chinese from the iTunes store.

The association invited more than 200 mothers yesterday to the final day of the annual International Baby/Children Products Expo at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. There they were able to collectively breast-feed their babies.

"The percentage of infants breast-feeding in Hong Kong stands low over the years and it reflects a general lack of understanding towards the benefits of breast-feeding," chairwoman Millie Wong Pui- seung said.

Department of Health figures show 60 to 70 percent of SAR mothers start breast-feeding at childbirth. But only 14.8 percent breast-feed for four to six months.

External vice chairwoman Miu Tang Miu-chi said mothers have misconceptions such as breast milk loses its nutrition after six months, but this has already been proven false by studies.

"Mothers may be pressured by others to end breast-feeding earlier, but the child should be the one to decide," Tang said. "It's like toilet training and other natural processes that infants go through. At some point, the child will grow out of breast milk. Mothers should let it happen naturally."

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