Mall offers facility for mothers to breastfeed babies

SIBU: Star Mega Mall here has designated a room for mothers to breastfeed in between shopping.

According to Daesco Sdn Bhd executive director Lau Khian Chung, the facility located on the first floor of the hypermarket opened to the public last December.

He said the facility came about following requests from some customers.

“Besides, it’s part of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) to service the community.

“Some mothers are using the room to breastfeed while some go there to change their babies’ diapers.”

Meanwhile, a mother interviewed while shopping at the hypermarket yesterday, gave the thumbs-up to the facility.

She described it as a move in the right direction as mothers need not worry about having to go home in the midst of shopping to breastfeed their babies.

“I believe that over time, this will encourage more mothers to breastfeed,” she added.

During a press conference at Sibu Hospital on Monday, paediatrician Dr Toh Teck Hock revealed that the owner of Star Mega Mall set up a breastfeeding room for the convenience of mothers while shopping, which is a step in the right direction.

Sibu Hospital director Dr Ngian Hie Ung who chaired the press conference on promoting breastfeeding in Sibu, said it was a World Health Organisation ( WHO) and national recommendation for all mothers to breastfeed exclusively for six months and thereafter until the child is two years old.

Dr Ngian observed that the practice of exclusive breastfeeding had yet to catch on in Sibu, but she hoped that more mothers would do so this year.