Juliana Young, a mother of five, has recalled feeling helpless when she developed a breastfeeding-related medical condition after her second child was born.
The 41-year-old suffered from a yeast infection on her breast when her baby was around three months old in 2012, but she was not able to get any help.
“I felt a stinging pain in my breasts after feeding my child and I looked up my symptoms online to see what was happening. I couldn’t find any information to help in my situation,” she said, adding that she developed the infection when she was on a trip to Shanghai.
“I remember feeling so much pain when I rolled around in my bed.”
Young said she only managed to see a doctor and receive medications to ease her pain after she returned to Hong Kong. She also went to Kwong Wah Hospital, where she gave birth to her children, for breastfeeding support and advice.
Young said she benefited from a hospital support hotline with professionals answering breastfeeding queries, as she advised new mothers to not be afraid to seek help.
“You don’t have to go through this alone and you don’t have to feel like you know everything,” she said.
With the annual World Breastfeeding Week starting on Thursday, the hospital, located in Yau Ma Tei, is expected to step up its support for mothers.
Apart from the existing hotline, the hospital is planning to offer massage classes to new mothers and teach them how to relieve pain and discomfort after breastfeeding.
The project is set to be developed over the next few months, with classes to be held weekly on Saturdays.
The hospital said it hoped to encourage more mothers to breastfeed, as data from 2023 showed that only 19.7 per cent of newborns were exclusively breastfed during their stay in public hospitals.
“The toughness of the first two weeks of breastfeeding can really discourage mothers from going down that path,” said Dr Lau Wai-lam, chief of service of the hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology department.
“If they don’t have enough support from people around them, it may be hard for them to not give up.”
Lau said exclusively breastfed infants were less likely to develop diseases such as obesity and diabetes, and that “the contact and interaction between the mother and her child helps to build an emotional intelligence for the child.”
“For mothers, breastfeeding can help the body recover quicker after birth and could reduce the risk of breast and vaginal cancer,” he added.
Young also shared her breastfeeding experience.
“Holding your child in your arms is such a precious intimate moment and you need to treasure it, I will miss that moment when they grow up,” she said.
Hong Kong is working to launch its first breastmilk bank in the first quarter of 2025, aiming to collect 1,000 litres each year and help 450 to 600 babies who are born prematurely or suffering from serious illnesses.
The bank will start accepting applications from eligible mothers as early as this year’s fourth quarter to alleviate struggles faced in trying to produce sufficient breastmilk for premature babies.
