'50% new mothers quit jobs for lack of breastfeeding facilities'

Image for representational purpose only

New Delhi: Fifty per cent of working women in Indian metro cities feel that corporate houses lack breastfeeding facilities and nearly 54 per cent quit their jobs after giving birth to ensure that their newborns are breastfed, revealed a survey on Tuesday.

The survey was conducted by Medela, a manufacturer of breast pumps and nursing accessories. 

"There is a need for corporate preparedness in enabling working women to breastfeed, as only 35 per cent of new lactating mothers of India were able to go back to their jobs within six-nine months," said the survey.

The findings highlighted that 78 per cent of Indian mothers planned to exclusively breastfeed their infants for the first six months post-delivery to ensure a strong and healthy foundation for the child.

The survey was conducted to find recent trends and breastfeeding habits of Indian mothers.

The World Breastfeeding Week is from August 1 to 7.