Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers
Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers or BSIM is a Facebook group that is popular for providing peer support for breastfeeding in India. With over 100,000 members as of 2019, the online community is run by a team of over 45 volunteers mothers and certified lactation consultants.[1][2] The group has been widely recognized for its efforts for breastfeeding promotion, dispel popular myths in Indian society around lactation and encourage public nursing which is generally considered taboo in urban India.
Core beliefsEdit
The community is built around a set of foundational beliefs that is propagated through the group:[3]
- Following WHO recommendations which say that babies have to be exclusively breast fed for the first six months, and extended breast feeding up to two years.
- Avoiding solids and water in the first six months.
- The more the baby suckles, better is the breast milk secretion.
- Breastfeeding is the natural way to feed and nourish the baby [4]
AchievementsEdit
- In March 2019, The group founder Adhunika Prakash was recognized as a 'Web Wonder Women' by the Ministry for Women and Child Development for leading the group's initiatives in using technology to raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding and the various policies that need to change in the country to enable and protect breastfeeding.[5]
- In 2019, the founder was selected as one of the top five Community Leaders in residence by Facebook and the group was selected to receive $100,000 to fund community building initiatives.[6][7][8]
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ "Breastfeeding Indian Mums Get Unique Support From Dedicated Facebook Network". Outlook India. 18 June 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Busting breastfeeding myths among new mothers". Deccan Chronicle. 7 August 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "A mother-to-mother support". The Hindu. 3 August 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Breastfeeding is more than nutrition, it is a parenting tool". Times of India. 5 August 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Smt. Maneka Gandhi felicitates 'Web Wonder Women'". Press Information Bureau. 6 March 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Breastfeeding Indian Mums Get Unique Support From Dedicated Facebook Network". Outlook India. 18 June 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Meet the Indian mothers selected Facebook's community leaders". 5 October 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "The MBA who is helping Indian women breastfeed". The Print. 30 September 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)