Breastfeeding is widely recognised in Malaysia as one of the best ways to nourish a baby. Many mothers begin their breastfeeding journey with strong hope and determination, supported by hospitals, health care professionals, and public health campaigns.
However, while breastfeeding often starts well, continuing it beyond the early weeks can be challenging, especially for mothers who return to work.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, but many Malaysian mothers struggle to achieve this.
Research in the Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences shows that breastfeeding success is shaped by social, cultural, workplace, and personal factors.
Why Is It Difficult To Continue Breastfeeding?
One of the main challenges is returning to work. Many mothers resume employment just a few months after childbirth, when their babies are still very young.
This requires them to express milk during working hours, store it safely, and maintain a strict feeding routine.
Unfortunately, not all workplaces provide lactation rooms, flexible breaks, or proper storage facilities. Without these, breastfeeding becomes stressful and difficult to sustain.
Support from family, friends, and colleagues is also crucial. Some mothers feel pressured to switch to formula milk, which is often seen as more convenient. Others feel uncomfortable breastfeeding or expressing milk in public due to a lack of private spaces.
For new mothers already coping with fatigue and adjustment to newborn care, these barriers can make breastfeeding feel overwhelming. Often, what they need most is not more advice, but understanding and practical support.
Signs Of Hope
Despite these challenges, Malaysia is making progress. The Ministry of Health (MOH) integrates breastfeeding education into maternal care services, and health care professionals help mothers start breastfeeding early and continue longer.
Baby-friendly hospital initiatives, lactation counselling, and support from nurses and midwives also help mothers overcome early difficulties.
In addition, peer support groups and community organisations provide emotional encouragement and shared experience, helping mothers feel less alone.
What Can Help Mothers Breastfeed Longer?
To improve breastfeeding rates, responsibility must go beyond the mother alone. Systemic support is essential. Key measures include:
- Stronger maternity protection to allow adequate recovery and breastfeeding establishment.
- Breastfeeding-friendly workplaces with lactation rooms, storage facilities, and break times.
- Flexible working arrangements for new mothers.
- Better education for employers and colleagues on breastfeeding needs.
- Continued breastfeeding education and counselling during and after pregnancy.
- Stronger family and community support systems.
These changes can significantly reduce stress and make breastfeeding more sustainable.
Breastfeeding Is A Shared Responsibility
\Although breastfeeding is a personal choice, supporting it is a shared responsibility. A mother’s determination alone is often not enough when she faces work demands, fatigue, and limited support.
Ensuring the well-being of mothers and babies benefits society as a whole. Therefore, employers, families, health care providers, communities, and policymakers all play a role in making breastfeeding possible.
Malaysia has made important progress, but sustaining breastfeeding beyond the early months requires more than awareness campaigns. It requires a culture that actively supports mothers in real, practical ways.
Conclusion
Breastfeeding beyond the first month is challenging in Malaysia, but it is achievable. With strong support systems in health care, workplaces, families, and communities, more mothers can continue breastfeeding for longer.
Instead of asking why mothers stop breastfeeding, a better question may be: What support did they need but did not receive?
When mothers are given time, facilities, knowledge, and encouragement, breastfeeding becomes more realistic and less stressful.
Supporting breastfeeding is ultimately an investment in the health of both mothers and the next generation.
Chee Gek Neo and Zainah Mat Isa are from the School of Nursing, Faculty of Medical and Life Science, Sunway University.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
