To really encourage breastfeeding, Hong Kong needs a better maternity leave policy

It cannot be disputed that the adoption of breastfeeding in Hong Kong is tied to the duration of maternity leave, which now stands at 14 weeks
As anyone who has nursed will tell you, it can take significant time and effort to breastfeed successfully

Melissa Stevens

Published: 6:45am, 11 Aug 2021

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Each year, World Breastfeeding Week is held in August by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, to raise awareness and support for breastfeeding.

The alliance’s vision is a world where breastfeeding is a cultural norm and enabling environments exist for parents. It works to support the World Health Organization target of increasing the number of babies being exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life to at least 50 per cent by 2025.

Here in Hong Kong, the breastfeeding rate at the time of hospital discharge was an impressive 87.5 per cent, according to a 2019 survey. However, when it comes to the number of babies who are being exclusively breastfed, the rate falls to just 32.6 per cent at one month of age and as low as 26.3 per cent by the age of six months.

So what is happening for new mothers from the time they leave hospital with a newborn to when their baby is six months old? Why is breastfeeding proving so difficult to maintain for women who want to continue to do so?

While it is not always feasible for new mothers to exclusively breastfeed, it cannot be disputed that a portion of the decline is tied to the duration of maternity leave in Hong Kong. There are numerous studies which have found there is a clear link between longer shared parental leave and the duration of breastfeeding.

In Hong Kong, a 2015 Department of Health report found that, while many women were aware of the benefits, returning to work affected their ability to continue to breastfeed.

Until December 2020, maternity leave in Hong Kong was just 10 weeks. It now stands at 14 continuous weeks on 4/5ths of the pregnant woman’s wage, which includes up to four weeks before the birth – effectively leaving just 10 weeks for a new parent to establish a breastfeeding routine.

As anyone who has nursed will tell you, it can take significant time and effort to breastfeed successfully. Achieving an exclusive breastfeeding routine in 10 weeks can be a challenge. To maintain that, once back in employment outside the home, can be overwhelming and exhausting.

Not only does the nursing parent have to contend with taking regular breaks during a working day to maintain milk supply, the ability to stay in sync with a growing baby’s routine can be challenging when you are away from them for long stretches of time.

When it comes to global trends, there are many places around the developed world where new parents are given far more time to be with their newborn, without the stress of having to return to paid employment, than in Hong Kong.

Sweden offers a generous 480 days of leave at 80 per cent pay and in Finland all parents are able to take 164 days of leave. Denmark offers 18 weeks at full pay and then another 32 weeks which can be split between two parents. Estonia’s policy sees 140 days of fully paid maternity leave, with an extra 435 days for parents to share.

There are documented health benefits for a child who is breastfed. These range from reducing the incidence of childhood illnesses such as respiratory infections to helping prevent obesity and other noncommunicable diseases in adulthood. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action also points out other, indirect benefits for communities in both environmental and economic terms.

The law against sex discrimination in Hong Kong was amended to cover breastfeeding women in 2020, coming into force in June this year.

This move was long overdue, with a 2016 study showing 40 per cent of women who breastfed in public in Hong Kong had negative reactions or experiences. The city’s breastfeeding advocates have welcomed this update to the law as a significant step towards encouraging breastfeeding in Hong Kong.

Not only does it make it easier to nurse in public places because businesses can no longer refuse to serve a parent who is breastfeeding on their premises, it also helps protect women in the workplace from discrimination if they take pumping or nursing breaks.

While the update to the discrimination law is welcome, and a step forward in encouraging breastfeeding, the government’s maternity leave policy needs to be updated to really see a significant improvement.

Melissa Stevens is the Post’s Digital Editor