KENYA’S WORKING MOTHERS SHOW OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR NEW BREASTFEEDING BILL

How Parliament’s New Law on Breastfeeding will Impact Mothers in Kenya

MumsVillage has been doing research on motherhood and lactation indices in Kenya and across the globe. This local research and global benchmarking culminated in this expert-reviewed ground-breaking infographic. This new data reveals how Kenyan lactating mothers compare with others around the world and how the government’s new bill is set to affect their workplace and parenting habits.

In an unprecedented step towards creating greater workplace equality for mothers, Kenya’s Parliament passed a bill that requires employers to provide breastfeeding facilities for mothers. The breastfeeding clause in the Health Bill 2015, sponsored by MP Rachel Nyamai, will require employers to provide space with electric outlets to enable lactating mothers to express milk, as well as break intervals and refrigeration facilities. According to our research, 62% of mothers who work full-time said that they would have continued breastfeeding longer had this law been passed earlier.

How long are Kenyan Mums Breastfeeding for?

“72% of Kenyan mums we surveyed breastfed for 6 months or longer – this is almost double the global average and is something to stand up and celebrate! Breastfeeding reduces the risk of malnutrition and the new Health Bill will now make it easier for working women to breastfeed longer – Kenyan women value their jobs but they also value being able to provide the best start for their babies,” Observes MumsVillage CEO, Isis Nyong’o Madison.

Why is Breastfeeding at Work so important?

WHO (World Health Organization) recommends that new babies should consume nothing but breast milk for at least the first 6 months of life. Thereafter they recommend that babies continue to be breastfed while weaning for at least two years. Since breast milk is produced in a supply and demand process, supply diminishes when the mother is at work and baby is not present to nurse. Where there are no adequate facillities to express and store breast milk, production rapidly declines. This has forced scores of Kenyan women to introduce food and other milk substitutes before their baby is ready – or opt out of the workforce.

MumsVillage conducted a recent survey to understand the viewpoints of Kenyan Mothers towards breastfeeding while working, and how the proposed Bill by the Kenya government would have impacted their behaviour.

About MumsVillage

Mumsvillage.com is a household name with thousands of Kenyan mothers; who check the website daily for expert medical articles, parenting wisdom, lifestyle information, event updates and business listings. Reach us on hello@mumsvillage or @mumsvillage on social media. Download Full Infographic