Most people are aware of the various advantages of breastmilk and breastfeeding. However, not all employers and colleagues support working mothers to continue breastfeeding when they return to work. For this reason, mothers often stop breastfeeding, against their will and knowledge, to take up their work responsibilities after maternity leave.

This is according to Dr Lisanne du Plessis, a lecturer at Stellenbosch University's (SU) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) and a registered dietitian and nutritionist.

Du Plessis said new evidence about the advantages of optimal breastfeeding for mothers and babies in both high and low income countries was recently presented in a review series in the highly acclaimed medical journal The Lancet.

The series included a meta-analysis (a statistical approach to combine the results from multiple studies) indicating that breastfeeding improves the survival, health and development of all children living in all parts of the world. Babies who are breastfed have better protection against childhood infections and they have a reduced risk of becoming overweight or developing diabetes later in life. They are furthermore protected against maloclusion (the imperfect positioning of the teeth when the jaws are closed) and have higher intelligence scores.

"It is of the utmost importance that mothers are supported to breastfeed in all environments and at all levels of society," Du Plessis said.

According to Dr Sunita Potgieter, a dietitian and Head of the Wellness Committee at the FMHS, many mothers return to work within three months after giving birth, which is associated with lower rates of breastfeeding initiation and shorter duration.  "Employers need to focus resources to support women in the workplace to continue breastfeeding once they have returned to work," she said.

She said barriers prohibiting mothers to continue breastfeeding after they have returned to work include a lack of flexibility for milk expression in the work schedule, lack of accommodations to pump or store breast milk, concerns about support from employers and colleagues and real or perceived low milk supply.

The FMHS Wellness Committee initiated a project to establish a breastmilk expression facility at SU's Tygerberg Campus. "The facility will enable women who return to work after giving birth to continue to express breastmilk in comfort, giving them a calm and relaxed space and privacy, as well as space to store the breastmilk, in order to provide the best nutrition to their babies," said Potgieter.

The facility is furnished with plush leather couches, has a small fridge, a microwave for sterilizing equipment and a private en suite bathroom. It has a changing facility for babies and can be used for breastfeeding or for expressing breastmilk. The facility will be officially opened on Friday 29 July 2016, coinciding with the advent of International Breastfeeding Week.

The role of nutrition and breastfeeding in the first 1 000 days of life (from conception, through pregnancy and up to a child's second birthday) cannot be disputed. Exclusive breastfeeding (feeding only breastmilk and no other fluids, like water, tea, juice and solid foods) for the first six months of life is estimated to be the most effective measure to save infants from morbidity and mortality in low-income settings.

Nursing mothers have a lower risk for developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer and type II Diabetes Mellitus. Closely spaced pregnancies increase health risks, and breastfeeding is a natural form of spacing between births.

» Click here to view photos of the facility.