Why Hong Kong needs to do more for breastfeeding mothers
Practice plagued by discrimination in public and at work, lack of support and an over-reliance on milk formula
On a corner bench at Victoria Park, Season Choi breastfeeds her 15-month-old daughter under a nursing cover. Despite her efforts to be discreet, she still receives a few glares from pedestrians – reactions she shrugs off as “common”.
“Once when I was breastfeeding at a park, an old woman told me to go home or hide in the toilet. Older people are more traditional,” 28-year-old Choi says. “In Asia, public acceptance of breastfeeding still lags behind places like the West.”
While Hong Kong has made recent efforts to normalise and promote breastfeeding, advocates say more should be done to raise awareness among medical practitioners and the public, as well as to provide adequate facilities and practical support.
Watch: A local mother tests out breastfeeding in Hong Kong’s public spaces
Exposed and vulnerable, Choi gently strokes her youngest daughter as the baby wriggles underneath the nursing cover. She’s fed both of her children breast milk, and she says that while people have become more open, she still faces discrimination, particularly when she doesn’t use a blanket.
