Breastfeeding in public is still frowned upon in our country, since the sight of an exposed nipple is something people find objectionable. All the stares make it even worse, so much so that most women are forced to run around and find an enclosed space to feed their baby.
Back in January, during the World Breastfeeding Week, actress-model Lisa Haydon shared a picture on her Instagram, where she was breastfeeding her son Zack. Fans and followers flooded the comments sections, asking her to do “such things” in “private” and not put them on social media.
A while ago, one of Kerala’s leading magazines, Grihalakshmi, received a lot of flak for introducing a campaign that supported breastfeeding in public. The cover had an image of a woman breastfeeding her child. The headline of the magazine read – Mothers tell Kerala, “please don’t stare, we need to breastfeed.”
We don’t understand this stigma, but we know that it needs to be done away with, which is why this news makes us happy. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh State Roadways Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) announced that they will soon set up baby-feeding cubicles at all bus stations of the state.
Raj Shekhar, managing director, UPSRTC, said in a statement, “The need and requirement was very much felt by the UPSRTC in the last few years. Now looking into the importance and the requirement of this, the UPSRTC board has approved the project of setting up of Breast-Feeding Cubicles/Kiosks (Baby Feeding Cubicles) in each bus station of UPSRTC.”
He added, “The UPSRTC has also allocated Rs 2.5 crore for this special project in the honour and dignity of all lactating mothers and newborn children who are travelling on UPSRTC buses. The design of the cubicle that has been approved by the UPSRTC will have two cabins for breastfeeding and a waiting area. The arrangement will provide privacy and security to the feeding mother.”
He also said that the necessary signages in Hindi and English will also be displayed at all appropriate places for public information and better utilisation of these cubicles.
Not just UP, but some other states too have been working towards providing facilities to women breastfeeding their babies.
As part of the National Nutrition Mission-2022, during the World Breastfeeding Week in January, the state of Rajasthan announced a new breastfeeding policy to encourage the practice in rural communities across the state.
Let’s hope the country as a whole works towards providing facilities to mothers so that they can breastfeed their little ones without any discomfort.
Featured Image: Instagram
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