Breastfeeding rates in Hong Kong?

J

jane01

Registered User
I listened with interest to a report on Pearl News on Saturday night about breastfeeding rates in Hong Kong. The news report claimed that "60% of HK women intend to breastfeed for 6 months". The report claimed that this was the successful result of a baby friendly initiative in HK.

I felt that the statistic was misleading. INTENTION doesn't mean ACTUAL. So women can intend to or hope to b/f for 6 months, but not actually do so, for whatever reason.

Of my close friends and work mates (expat and local), few b/f for anything like 6 months. Of my local friends, none b/f for more than 2 weeks, but I don't claim to have a representative sample, just my experience. They gave up because of family pressure, lack of support and going back to work early.

I would be interested to hear anyone else's views on what you really think the rate of breastfeeding is in HK. I think that the government/health department statistics are misleading, but I am not really experienced enough to comment. Do you agree?
 
I don't view it as misleading.....

I can't help you with your specific question, but you got me thinking....

My son is 16 months and still breastfed. But, I'm a SAHM and have supportive husband and Mom. I'm not saying that anyone with different experiences shouldn't be able to breastfeed for at least 6 months, BUT I can only go from my own experience and can't really clue in on what other Moms go through.

I don't view that statistic as misleading, because I can only take it as a kind of optimism about the new breastfeeding campaign. It takes time to undo cultural habits, and I think HKSAR health is doing a fine job in promoting breastfeeding. It's certainly far, far, far better than the govt health in the States! (which is also improving). In the States, formula samples are sent to your home, given to you by the hospital when you give birth, given out for free by a govt program called WIC which almost any mother is eligable for. Govt clinics do not have breastfeeding rooms and do not adhere to the WHO guidelines about manufactured baby milk.

Here, they have pro-breastfeeding posters in the MTR (Admiralty), very nice breastfeeding rooms in the clinics, a lactation consultant in every baby clinic, and a 24 hour hotline with Manadarin, Cantonese, and English speaking nurses. It feels like the HKSAR health is truly commited to helping Moms breastfeed.

Every Mom I've met in my housing estate (all local Moms) breastfed for at least 6 weeks and some (like me) are still breastfeeding. And almost all the mothers I've met can quote WHO's recommendation for breastfeeding at least two years, would have liked to have breastfed longer, and are totally supportive of breastfeeding. Compared to the States, that feels like a miracle to me!

I'd say that the statistic itself is optimistic for the very reason that the hope is that women will recieve more education and more support for the breastfeeding choice.

I hope this didn't offend anyone. I support any Mama's choice in how she loves and feeds her child. My husband was formula fed and he's got a great brain and he's a great guy so I don't want anyone to feel that I am slagging on formula feeding.

Rani - please feel free to edit if any of this is inappropriate!

Cheers!:cheers:
 
I always take statistics with a grain of salt as they are highly subjective and can by interpreted in different ways. As they say, there's lies, damn lies and statistics :cool:

Anyway, my wife (a local) has been breastfeeding for 8 weeks so far and we are going to try to carry on for at least 6 months even though she returns to work in two weeks. I'm being supportive (at least I hope I am) and luckily my wife has a good friend that lives nearby who is very pro-breastfeeding and who successfully fed her daughter for a year, so my wife can go to her for support and advice as well.

I have to agree that the HK health system seems very supportive of breast feeding. Both the QE hospital where my wife gave birth and the baby clinic in Tai Po that we go to are very pro-breastfeeding.

However, given that the Government wants to promote breast feeding I wish that more shopping centers in HK had nursing rooms. In fact, I think it should be mandatory for each shopping center or department store to have a nursing room.

I was shocked that Festival Walk shpping center in Kowloon Tong only has one nursing room and that is inside the big Park N Shop. I would have thought that a shopping center of that size and class would have had more nursing rooms run by the center management.

Shatin is not too bad, as we found 2 small nursing rooms in New Town Plaza Phase III (near Seiyu dept store) and other inside the big baby shop next to the Toys R U.

The Grand Centuary Place shopping center next to the Mong Kok KCR was disappointing as the only nursing room we found was inside one of the baby shops.

What about Ocean Terminal, Sogo, Times Square and Pacific Place, do they have nursing rooms? We haven't been to any of those places since baby was born.

Graham
 
When I was in Queen Mary, I was the only mother breastfeeding in my ward and at post natal checkups I saw no one else doing the same. Sixty percent sounds fishy to me!
 
Slee, when my wife gave birth in QE in June, nearly every mother in the ward was breastfeeding. Perhaps some hospitals promote breastfeeding more than others?

Graham
 
Wow, thanks for the replies. I wasn't trying to make a political statement, just curiosity, as the figure seemed wrong to me in my limited experience. I did a websearch and found this:

http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/diseases/ph&eb/v11n3.htm#1

The true figure at 6 months seems to be about 10%, which is more in line with my experience.

Ozmaofoz - totally agree that we should support whatever method a mum chooses to feed. Of course b/f is important, but feeding is such a small part of parenting overall. I was soooo interested to read about your experience in the US. I thought the home of the LLL would be world leaders, but no. Sounds like your government is doing very little. Am I correct in saying that unless you have private health insurance, healthcare in America in general is very poor? I did a similar internet search for US b/f rates and it seems to be about 20% at 6 months. Slightly better than HK, but no where near as good as UK and Australia. The clear winners are places like Sweden and Finland - they really seem to know their stuff.

Something else that was interesting in the statistics was that (for western countries anyway) the more educated the parents are, the more likely they are to b/f.

Graham - good on your wife !!! You have found more places to feed than I ever did. Pacific Place was particularly disappointing. Quite a new shopping centre and I couldn't find a parents room anywhere. I read about a woman being asked to leave Great whilst b/f, so I didn't feed my daughter there. I (hopefully discreetly) fed her in the middle of the shopping centre. What else can you do????

I had my daughter in HK, but through the private system. The support for b/f was excellent.
 
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Wow..Graham great work ! I hardly went out in the intial months because it was so tough to find a private place to nurse.

HK govt seems to do a lot to promote breastfeeding. But my actual experience in QM was not so great. I had a difficult delivery and was bedridden for 2 whole days. My baby was in the special care unit..no one helped me to breastfeed. After I was allowed to move I promptly went to the nursery to try breastfeeding and of course it was not easy. Once the baby was with me I was having a lot of trouble..one nurse actually said there is something wrong with my nipples and proceeded to bottle feed my baby !! Only 1 senior nurse took time to help. As far as I am concerned QM did all they could to prevent me from breastfeeding.
 
I would take any media or government report with a grain of salt.

My personal experience with BF in HK has been mixed. The private health care that I received was great. I must have had more than a dozen of nurses, helpers, cleaners, mothers with experience helping me out when I had BF problems at the hospital. However, once I was back home then back to work, I was quite lost. The general public is not at all supportive for a BF mom. The maternity leave is pitiful compared to the 1 year that is now the norm in Canada! Most working moms that I know, wean once they go back to work due to the lack of support.

Although the government has a policy to support BF, the infrastructure and public have a long way to go before more mothers can fulfill their desires to BF longer.
 
Yes, the state of healthcare in general in The States is very poor. We had absolutely the best health insurance when my son was born, and I gave birth in one of the highest rated hospitals in the Medical Center in Houston (ie - one of the "rated" best in the country) and it was still up to me to seek out breastfeeding help. It was there, but I did actually have to go physically find it! My son was premature (35 weeks, big, healthy) and needed to be in NICU for a day. The nurse there refused to give him the colostrum I had pumped. I had to do it myself! I pretty much "had" to give him formula while in the hospital and supplemented the first four months before going totally breastfed because of allergies that my son developed. I eventually hired a lactation consultant out of pocket to successfully breastfeed.

I'm in Tseun Kwan O and I've had some really positive experiences around breastfeeding here. All the new shopping centers here have several baby rooms, and the interesting mix of middle-class local women and Mainland immigrant women have all shown a positive face towards breastfeeding. There is always someone nursing their baby in the baby room at Citistore in Po Lam. I think things might be different on the Island.

Formula companies in the States aggressively campaign and there are no laws or limits placed on them. I recieved free cans of formula (whether I wanted them or not) at my home (at least 10!), from the hospital (2 large cans, plus a dozen small premade bottles), and from my pediatrician (one can of hypoallergenic). The hospitals recieve free formula in exchange for distributing formula to new mothers, doctors recieve vacations and free dinners and free formula for recommending a specific brand, and formula companies get your address from chain stores when you do your baby registry (the custom in the States is to have a baby shower - a party where you get gifts - before the baby is born). It's all pretty much a free-for-all.

You can see why I think Hong Kong is advanced when it comes to breastfeeding education! :)

This has been a great discussion!
 
Graham, I too was very suprised by what I experienced in the wards. We went to the Tsan Yuk anti-natal classes and a whole session was dedicated to promoting and explaining breastfeeding. We were also all told that a lactation consultant would help us while in hospital. I couldn't believe it once I saw what the other mums were doing in hospital. They weren't even giving it a go! It's one thing not succeeding, but not even attempting to give even just a few days of colostrum dumbfounded me!

As for offering a first-time mum support, I asked to hold my daughter as soon as she was born and dried off so that she could latch on during the first half hour - a proven way of getting breastfeeding off to a good start. The midwife said 'no'. Luckily my OB was there and said something to the midwife in Cantonese, who then said 'Oh, OK then, but only quickly'. The labour and birth had gone fine, my baby's APGARs were 9 and 10 so there was no reason not to! Very strange.

It was a struggle trying to get things going on my own in a crowded room surrounded by noise and having a little old lady wave bottles through the curtain every few hours wasn't at all encouraging! Finally, I never saw the famous but elusive lactation consultant and as there was no one else that I could see breastfeeding I don't know where she was!
 
It seems that we all have varying experiences of wards and b/f. For me personally, I found the nurses at Queen Mary very supportive and that the Lactation Consultant was excellent.

I must admit that b/f facilities in Hong Kong could definitely be improved. I managed to b/f for 11 months but had to be rather creative when it came to looking for places to feed my baby when we were out!
 
My son is now 10 mths and I am very pleased to say has never tasted formula even though I went back to work when he was 15 weeks. I still express three times per day at work which is a bit of a bind but I would not have it any other way.

I am very lucky to be able to say that I have had no bad experiences with breastfeeding in HK. I am reasonably discrete but I feed my son wherever and whenever I need to. One of my favourite places these days is Pacific Coffee.

Nobody has ever given me any indication that they have any problem with me feeding my son.

I realise that I have been fortunate and I try and encourage other mums as best I can. I also think it is important for breastfeeding mothers to be discrete but not to hide away. It is good for the general public to see that people breastfeed.

I also think that it is good that the Government has been proactive. I feel that even if the statistics are slightly biased it might help people to realise that breastfeeding is a viable option and more and more people are doing it.
 
August 1st to 7th is World Breastfeeding Week. Traditionally the Baby Friendly Hospital Imitative in Hong Kong (BFHIHKA) publishes their hospital survey results this week. Last Saturday they held a press conference and the numbers they published were:

61.1 % of new mothers are breastfeeding when they leave hospital. This figure includes mothers who are supplementing with water and /or formula as well as breastfeeding.
(In Hong Kong mothers usually leave hospital between 2 days and 7 days after the birth.)

36% were exclusively breastfeeding when they left hospital. (Exclusive breastfeeding means that the infant receives only breast milk, from his or her mother or expressed breast milk, and no other foods or drinks with the exception of drops or syrups consisting of vitamins, mineral supplements, or medicines.)

Figures were also given from the Department of Health?s survey:

66.6% - ever breastfeed ? a new mother is included in this even if she only put the baby to the breast once.

Among these 12.4% continued to exclusively breastfeed for over 4 months. (That is 8.26% of all new mothers.)

The main reasons for stopping are:

?not having enough milk? = 37%

?back to work? = 26%

I started breastfeeding in Hong Kong over 17 years ago. The attitude of both the general public and the medical staff has greatly improved in this time. Although there is still work to be done the change over the last 15 years is remarkable.

One problem that the government is currently trying to address is that often mothers think that they have no milk during the first days until the milk has ?come in?. This couldn?t be further from the truth.

New mothers have colostrum from before the baby is born until the transitional milk comes (usually around day 4 or 5). The mature milk comes around the 2-week mark. Colostrum, also called the Golden Fluid, is highly treasured for its nutritional and protective properties. Its unique texture and small volume is designed to coat the baby?s delicate digestive system with antibodies. Therefore, babies require frequent nursings to obtain the much-needed small quantity of colostrums.

SARAH
 
Wow Sarah - you are a fountain of information, thank you.

If I understand your figures correctly, 33% of HK women have never breastfed, not once, not even given it a try. So therefore, "going back to work" and "not enough milk" aren't really the reason why they aren't doing it, even for (as you point out) the important colostrum.

I'm really curious why a mother wouldn't at least try it. OK, if it doesn't work for you and your baby, fair enough. If you have to go back to work in 6 weeks, good on you for doing it for 6 weeks (totally understand not wanting to pump in the toilets which is the only option in most workplaces). But to not try at all, that seems a bit strange to me.

I would imagine that some women would have medical problems, for example from a difficult birth, but surely this would be a very small percentage?

I agree that HK is progressing well. I'm just curious to understand why someone wouldn't try at all?
 
I gave birth at Queen Elizabeth and the nurses were very helpful right after the birth to help my baby latch on. Also, a lactation specialist came to my bed for personal help when I needed it. I guess it depends on the hospital and who is working at the time. I have heard that the local hospitals promote breastfeeding more than the private. I assume that is because many woman going to the private will be returning to work soon and pumping during the day is a very big commitment.

I have found that breastfeeding in Hong Kong has been a little uncomfortable. I've received many dirty looks from people even though I'm totally covered up with a blanket and there are very few places with couches/sofas to nurse on. During our time in Canada and the US this summer I had the opposite reaction. Many woman approached me to say how glad they were to see young mothers nursing and how it's so wonderful for bonding etc.

Breastfeeding is painful to start and doesn't seem to get into a regular routine for a few months so I can understand why some women quit, but I'm glad I continued as it's the most relaxing way to bond with your baby, not to mention the benefits to baby and mom's health and your bank account!

Anyway, the 10% figure sounds more accurate than 60% to me and I agree that statistics are very often skewed and should not be trusted.
 
i had a very complicated delivery but luckily, my milk came in quite early on. i'v now breastfed for 3 months and still going at it and though at first i found that it was uncomfortable to breastfeed in public (in fact, the first month to month and a half, i shyed away from going out too much) i think it was more my own self consciousness. Now, i feel - why should i worry about what people think? unless i'm actually told off by someone say a waitor or park staff (which is pretty rude anyways i think!) i will just feed anywhere i can sit down. i'v come to the opinion that if people take offence to it, don't they have the brains to look in another direction so they don't see me? if i see a dead rat on the street and i'm uncomfortable i don't keep staring at it, i turn my head away right away. i don't even notice the stares anymore coz i just keep talking to my own group of friends.

i agree that hk is good in promoting breastfeeding. i delivered at the matilda and from the time of birth and even until now, the support groups for breastfeeding is phenomenal. i can't say that i have heard that same for back in Canada. I think it's an individual decision and moms must choose what is best for both the baby and for herself as well. but 60% does sound high to me given the number of people i know who just went straight to formula or gave up after a week or 2 because it is much more convenient to not b/feed.
 
Please remember that the 60% is breastfeeding at discharge from hospital. So the mothers who gave up after a week or 2 because it is much more convenient to not breastfeed are included in that figure.
SARAH
 
I gave birth in Queen Mary and found that the staff were extremely supportive of my desire to breastfeed. my daughter was in special care for 24 hours and i was unable to visit her. In my hormonal state i was convinced that they would have been feeding her formula against my wishes but, once i was able to visit her, i found her cot covered in bilingual signs saying "breastfeeding -no bottles!". I was also sure that breastfeeding would be difficult to establish (having read so much about the need to feed immediately after delivery etc) but we managed fine.
I have breastfed both of my children for about 12 months each. I rarely use nursing rooms as I prefer not to have to hide away in order to feed my baby, especially now that I also have a toddler in tow. If I meet my husband for lunch I don't want to have to go and sit in a toilet, however nice, for and hour or so. Having said that, I would like to think that I am always very discrete and I am sure that most people wouldn't know that I was feeding. I agree that it would be better if people became more accustomed to the fact that breastfeeding happens. I have never had any negative comments when breastfeeding in public. If I had I would have to say that I am equally offended when I see a tiny newborn being bottle fed, but it is none of my business so I would never dream of commenting.
 
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