The office vs breastfeeding: A working mother’s bind

World Breastfeeding Week was established 20 years ago to spread information about the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life.

Breast milk contains all the nutrients a newborn needs to adjust to life outside the womb, as well as antibody-building properties. It is also a great way for mothers and babies to bond.

According to statistics released by the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTI), only 32 per cent of Kenyan babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their lives.

There are various reasons for this, including the ripple effect from the first years of HIV/Aids (mis)education in the 1990s. About 26.9 per cent of women feed their babies on cow’s milk, formula and so on in those first months.

For some women, these choices might be cosmetic or medical, but there is a group that may not have a choice: working mothers.

Crazy schedule

Sophie Kaberia, 24, felt like the worst mum on earth, having to leave her two-and-a-half-month-old baby to go back to work: “It was a teary experience knowing that my little angel would wake up in the morning and not find me there for her usual breastfeeding.

“I also had to supplement breast milk with formula because my milk reserves dwindled with time. I felt selfish but I had to go to work to cater for her other needs.”

Chelang’at Bett went upcountry to stay with her parents-in-law after getting her baby. When it was time to come back home and back to work, she was simply not ready.

“It was the hardest thing in the world, finding the right nanny, learning how to express milk and trying to meet the baby’s demands. It was overwhelming,” she says.

“I was always hungry at work, with little access to food and time to eat it as well. I also had to express milk in my car, carry the milk into the office to store it in the office fridge, transport it home in the evening and store in my tiny fridge and then express enough milk in the morning before I leave the house."

She finally decided to work half days, which meant forfeiting half her pay. If she had her way, Chelang’at would have a crèche at work for nursing mothers.

Daunting challenges

“I also wish I had the option of staying on paid maternity leave longer, until the baby was weaned. Providing round-the-clock tea/cocoa and a medical plan for mothers that includes consultation with a nutritionist and counsellor to help those with post-partum depression are also good ideas.”

Rehema Kahurananga, 29, a communications officer and co-founder of Hello Mama (Kenyan Moms) on Facebook, made the best out of her somewhat bad situation.

“The company I worked for suddenly ceased operations in Kenya when I was six months pregnant! I panicked, but I took the opportunity to focus on getting ready to be a mother,” she says.

Through the severance package she received and a very supportive family structure, she was able to stay at home with her son for nine months.

“Going back to work full-time was daunting at first because I’d never spent a whole day away from my son. I had started weaning him but I used to leave enough breast milk for him to have as a snack. Pumping was no joke!
“At first, my son hated using a bottle, but he got over that within the first month when he realised the bottle was his only way to my milk while I was away.”

Rehema proposes a minimum of six months paid maternity leave. “At this time, a mother can return to work without a divided mind. Companies may see that as expensive, but in the end, it is better to have a productive member of the team.”

Mildred Njuguna agrees. “Going back to work when my child was only three months old was emotionally difficult for me as well as the baby who had been exclusively feeding from the breast. I would have wished for a longer maternity leave,” she says.

Mildred, who had prepared for her return back to work, had already started expressing and building up stock for when she was away.

“I exclusively breastfed for almost six months, by pumping at work and storing.

Eventually, though, I had to supplement with formula as my milk flow reduced.”

Achieving goals

And Wanjiru Chege, who runs a small business, had to go back to work when her son was only eight weeks old. But she took her paediatrician’s advice, expressing enough milk for him to drink the whole day for six months.

“It was the busiest time for the business and I had no choice but to go back. He completely rejected the bottle and the milk was administered by cup and spoon which made me really sad,” she says.

The WBTI goal is to have 80 per cent of babies exclusively breastfed by 2017; can we achieve this? Only if the life challenges that willing mothers face are taken into account.