As the world marks World Breastfeeding Week from August 1 to 7, 2026, it is a timely reminder that breastfeeding is about more than what happens after birth. It is also about how families prepare during pregnancy.
Many people think breastfeeding begins when a newborn is placed on the mother’s chest moments after birth.
In reality, the journey begins much earlier. Pregnancy provides a valuable opportunity to prepare women and their families emotionally and practically for breastfeeding.
Yet this aspect of care is often overlooked. Understandably, much of the attention during pregnancy is focused on ensuring a safe pregnancy and delivery for both mother and baby.
As a result, breastfeeding education is frequently postponed until after childbirth, when parents are already navigating the demands of caring for a newborn.
Breastfeeding remains one of the most effective ways to improve the health of babies and mothers. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding alongside complementary foods for up to two years or beyond.
Breast milk provides ideal nutrition, helps protects babies against infections and supports healthy growth and development.
For mothers, breastfeeding is also associacated with a reduced long-term risk of breast and ovarian cancers and type 2 diabetes.
Malaysia has made commendable progress in promoting breastfeeding over the past three decades. Initiatives such as the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, the National Breastfeeding Policy, and sustained public health campaigns have strengthened breastfeeding support within the healthcare system.
The Employment (Amendment) Act 2022 further extended paid maternity leave to 98 days and introduced seven days of paid paternity leave, giving families more time to establish breastfeeding before mothers return to work.
Many employers are introducing lactation rooms, refrigeration facilities, flexible pumping breaks, and family-friendly workplace practices.
Preparing Before Birth
Many mothers stop breastfeeding earlier than planned but because they encounter unexpected physical, emotional, or practical challenges after childbirth.
Difficulties with latching, uncertainty about milk supply, inconsistent advice, limited support and the eventual return to work can make breastfeeding more challenging than anticipated.
Preparing families during pregnancy helps them understand what to expect, recognise when they may need assistance and know where to seek help before challenges arise.
Obstetricians often meet expectant mothers who devote considerable effort to preparing for labour. They attend antenatal appointments, undergo routine scans, prepare hospital bags, and develop birth plans.
However, relatively few devote the same attention to preparing for breastfeeding. Many assume it will come naturally, while healthcare providers may unintentionally place it in the background, believing support can begin after delivery.
Breastfeeding is a learned skill for both mother and baby. Like any new skill, it requires patience, practice, and guidance.
While preparation cannot prevent every challenge, it can significantly improve parents’ confidence and readiness to navigate the early days after birth.
Navigating The Early Days
The postpartum period is both joyful and demanding. Mothers are recovering physically from pregnancy and childbirth while adapting to hormonal changes, interrupted sleep, and the responsibilities of caring for a newborn. It is during the period that breastfeeding challenges commonly emerge.
Some mothers may experience delayed milk production, while others develop painful conditions such as breast engorgement or mastitis (inflammation of the breast, usually causing pain, redness, swelling, and sometimes fever).
If left untreated, mastitis may occasionally progress to a breast abscess requiring surgical drainage. The postpartum period may also involve mental health challenges, ranging from the baby blues and postpartum depression to, in rare cases, postpartum psychosis.
Exhaustion and emotional stress can further intensify the difficulties mothers experience during this period. These challenges can affect not only breastfeeding but also family relationships, maternal well-being and parent-infant bonding.
Fortunately, many of these challenges can be anticipated and managed more effectively when education begins during pregnancy.
Antenatal care provides an opportunity for health care professionals to set realistic expectations, address common concerns, identify factors that could affect breastfeeding and arrange early lactation support when necessary.
It also introduces families to become familiar with the healthcare professionals, lactation specialists and community resources available to them after birth.
When parents know what to expect and whom to contact, they are more likely to seek timely help instead of feeling that they must manage every challenge alone.
This is why breastfeeding conversations should begin during pregnancy rather than only after delivery. Just as expectant parents prepare a birth plan, they can also discuss their breastfeeding preferences and support needs.
This might include discussing early skin-to-skin contact, initiating breastfeeding within the first hour after birth where medically possible, rooming-in, recongiisng feeding cues, expressing and safely storing breast milk, preparing for a return to work, and identifying the practical support that partners, grandparents, co-workers and healthcare professionals can provide.
As the African proverb reminds us, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The same is true of breastfeeding. When that village begins supporting mothers before birth, both mothers and babies are more likely to thrive together.
Assoc Prof Dr Khine Pwint Phyu is Head of Learning and Teaching, while Assoc Prof Dr Ganesh Ramachandran is Head of the School of Medicine. Both are obstetricians and gynaecologists at the School of Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor’s University.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Ova.
